Through Stone
by IAmMoreThanMemory
Summary: Alec has been imprisoned under the Volturi castle for a crime that no one understands. A girl has been imprisoned next to him, and she is more than happy to boast about everything that she has done. When your world consists of one room, one voice, it's hard to not become wrapped up in it. Rated M for torture, sexual violence, and a small sprinkling of naughty words.
1. Chapter One: Every Fire Needs a Spark

Through Stone

"Hey… psst, what's your name?"

The question seems childish and arbitrary, now. The kind of thing that you ask on the first day of kindergarten as you sit among other little girls with their blonde hair in braids, dressed in special "first day" dresses. It's not the sort of question that you ask as an adult.

But, with these walls in between myself and the only person I expect to be the least be of kind to me, I expect that arbitrary and childish is somewhat acceptable.

A few moments pass before someone answers me. A boy's voice. He sounds young, but I know that the sound of someone's voice, or even their appearance, is no indication of age. After all, I'm close to four-hundred myself, and I look nothing close to it.

"Al-Alec…" He panted out. I flinched internally for his sake. They had only left a couple of hours ago, and when Audrey came to "play" (as she so lovingly called it) the pain hardly ceased before she was back. I resisted the urge to groan. She would be by for me before long.

"You sound like Hell. No offense."

"I'm pretty sure I look like more than Hell."

I shrugged, even though I knew he couldn't see the movement. "People do say we could be related to fallen angels, so maybe looking like Hell isn't too bad."

A dry laugh seeped through the mildew covered stones. "Are you trying to say you think I could be handsome?"

Boys are so typical. They think the smallest mention of potential good looks is an indication of attraction. "Every vampire is handsome, doll. Don't psyche yourself up."

"I won't be very handsome soon if she doesn't leave my face alone."

"Has she cut it? She did mine a few days ago, but… I don't think it will show up very well. Not unless she comes back and decides she needs to make it deeper."

A silence. Some scraping of stone, and suddenly, his voice was a little bit clearer, louder.

"Wh—what…. Did she write?"

"Dunno," I answered, and I lifted my hand up to trace the cuts on my forehead, trying to figure out what she had carved. "Probably something demeaning and nasty. Like herself."

"I wouldn't go talking like that. You wouldn't want to piss her off. Think she's bad now? She's only been here when she's in one of her good moods."

I rolled my eyes and pressed my forehead against the stone so I could hear him better still. "She cut anything into your face, yet?"

"No. But she keeps acting like she will," He answered. His voice shuddered. "'A' for Audrey. She keeps tracing it with the blunt side of the knife."

"I… " I held my tongue for a second. Who was I to give any kind of advice? "It hu-hurts less if you don't tense up. Try to keep your face relaxed."

I couldn't get to him. I couldn't protect him, but I could trying and help it hurt less. And perhaps, being next to one another, would help everything else as well.

"I'll keep that in mind. H-have…has anyone besides….?"

"Audrey?" I asked, the name slipping like poison off of my tongue. "Kiersten. I don't think she had much fun with me."

"Why is that? She had loads with me." A bitter tone had seeped in. I wanted to ask why, but now was not the time to bombard him with pressing questions.

"Her power is to make you want to hurt someone you love. But there is no one that I love, and no one who loves me." I stated matter-of-factly. It wasn't some kind of pity party. There just wasn't anyone that I was particularly close to.

Tilting my head back, I closed my eyes for just a few moments. The air was muggy and stiff, but if I tried hard enough, I could imagine that I was anywhere else. The stone beneath my feet became warmer, and I imagined birds singing in the distance.

"Guess you'll be getting a lot of Audrey, then."

"Lucky. Me."

I couldn't determine how long it had been since Audrey had been in my cell. It felt like too long. Usually, she wasn't gone more than a few hours. To be honest, I couldn't imagine what someone like her would do in her free time. Kill children, I assumed, find virgins to sacrifice.

My eyes flicked to the door, watching for a shadows movements, listening for the click, click, click, of her black stiletto's. She had to be back soon. The anticipation killed me.

"You know, you haven't told me your name, yet," He called, and I jumped out my anxiety-ridden reverie.

People didn't often as for my name. But, then again, most of the interaction I had with humans involved hunting them, and any communication I had with my own kind was typically forced and brief, or acutely unpleasant. Come to think of it, I don't think anyone had asked my name in over a hundred years.

My name wasn't even the same as it is now, a hundred years ago.

"S-Saoirse." I stammer. Even my name, the one that I came up with myself, felt unfamiliar on my lips. An alien word, filled with uncertainty. I was ashamed at myself. I had chosen that name for a reason, and now, I felt it reduced to little than nothing. "My name is Saoirse." This time, it came out with a small bit of certainty.

"Seeeeerr-shaaah?" Alec stretched the word out, and snorted. "Sounds funny. Irish, or something?"

"Something like that," I huffed. I didn't like how he said it. "I chose it for the meaning, more than the origin."

"Name meanings are stupid. Half of the time, they don't match the personality of the person they're naming at all. Do you know what "Alec" means?"

"Defender of man." I answered without a beat.

"Yeah. Exactly. Does anyone think I'm going to be defending any bitch, except for myself?"

"I mean it is defender of man, not men. You are man. You defend self. See, perfectly explanatory."

"Saoirse," he replied, and I wanted to breathe out in relief at the fact that he didn't utterly destroy my name this time. (Not that I had done much better, myself), "I'm currently shackled to the floor with barely six feet of give. I don't think I'll be defending myself any time soon."

My eyes trailed down to the metal band around my ankle. Somehow, I had forgotten that they would have done the same with him, as they had to me. That was why it hurt so much, whenever Audrey came to play with him.

With each of his cries, I remembered my own agony.

"We'll be alright, won't we?" The question slipped in unexpectedly. I sounded like a child, begging for assurance. First the name thing and now this. What was I, five?

The chain ground against the stone as he (I assumed) adjusted his position. "I don't want to be the person who answers that. I've… I've seen people after Audrey's done with them. It's never a pretty sight."

"We just have to keep calm, and not lose ourselves. That's the one thing she can't take."

He scoffed. I imagined him rolling his eyes. "She can try, believe that. And she likes a challenge. Don't talk about how she'll never be able to break you. It will only make her want to see you shatter more than ever before."

"You ever wonder how someone gets like that?" I questioned, "All deranged and fucked up?"

"Some people have bad childhoods…or traumatic experiences, but I don't think anything like that happened to her. She probably just…came out, looking for something to make cry."

My life hadn't been the most amazing, but I like to think that I turned out alright, all things considered. Before Audrey, I hadn't cried in over a hundred and fifty years. I cursed myself for letting her get to me that day.

"How long have you been in here, for?"

He had already been in the cell beside me when they brought me in a little less than a week ago.

"I think almost two weeks. I tried to keep track. Make marks on the walls, memorize the patterns of people coming and going, but… it just all blurs together. You can't tell one day from another."

"You seem to have held up pretty well, given how long you've been here."

"I don't know if that should be taken as a compliment, but thanks. She hasn't been around as much as the first few days. I think some other kind of task is taking up her time."

Whatever that task was, maybe it would last for months.

"How about the other ones? I know there are two guys, who-"

"Eric and Felipe. They've come around, too. Felipe isn't very creative. He's about a quarter as bad as Audrey. Eric, on the other hand, is awful in a different way."

I bit my lip, but the question slipped out of its own accord. "Do I want to know?"

A low sigh came from him, and there was a strange sound that filled the air- like nails on stone. I wondered if he did what I had started, and marked the days as they passed in tallies on the wall.

Aro said I would be in here for forever. Eventually, the space I had to mark the days would disappear entirely. Of course, in my life, I have learned that forever hardly really means anything more than "a very long time"

Eventually, he answered my question. "He likes to mess with your mind. He picks it apart, sees what makes people tick. Eric doesn't see other's as people. He sees them as objects, and he loves to see what they're made of."

I tensed, my eyes trailing to the door. Why couldn't they just come and get it over with already? With each moment that passed, I felt my chest grow tighter with anxiety. It wouldn't be long now. I just knew it.

It was mostly a question of who would come to play this time.

"Who came last time? Audrey?"

"Yeah. Couple of hours now, I guess."

It felt selfish to ask of such horrible things, but in times like these, it was some of the only subjects we had to share with one another. Pain felt less unbearable when it was shared with someone else.

"Are you alright? Does anything hurt?"

"Probably, not as much as it did the first time. When she's not feeling particularly creative, she'll just whip me until she gets bored."

"Does she make you count and start over every time you miss one?" I inquired, a dead sort of tone to my voice. "She does with me. One session lasted four times as it should have because I kept forgetting to count."

"Second day I was here, she made me count for every year I'd been alive . I missed the second to last strike and she made me start over again. I was screaming before the second session was half way done."

Though I hated the imprisonment itself, I had to admit, that having someone to talk to made everything a little easier. I wondered awful it had been, to be alone in the dark, filled to the brim with absolute agony.

No one to talk to, just you, your thoughts, and a blistering pain.

"Well, we've gotten this far. If we've survived for this long, then things can't really get much worse from here, right?"

I hated how forcibly positive my voice sounded. Truth be told, I didn't believe what I said. Torturers didn't give up when their prisoners got stronger, or became used to their methods. That wouldn't be fun for them. Instead, they came up with knew ways to inflict pain. We would never get used to them. And there were at least six of them. They could share ideas, come up with new things to try on us.

There was a part of me that wanted to ask, what he had done- but another part, a stronger voice inside of my head, told me not to. I didn't know if I would be able to handle the answer.

I knew what I had done, why I was being punished. Whether or not it was a fair or justified punishment was up to who you asked. I suppose, from a moral standpoint, I hadn't been the best person to ever live. But I tried.

No one is born evil. No one even thinks themselves to be evil. As any dictator, any warlord, and they will have a reason for their actions. Evilness is a trait assigned by society, not by individuals. Can someone be evil and not admit it to themselves? Of course. Actions, beliefs as a whole can be viewed as evil or corrupt, but those who believe such things that others view to be immoral, will never admit that their thoughts are evil.

So, am I evil? I don't think so. Are their thousands of people who I have hurt, who have suffered because of me? Yes.

But I do not think myself to be evil. After all, in the end, I had a reputable goal.

"You must be deep in thought," He mused, breaking me out of my reverie. I closed my eyes, head tilted back against the smooth stone.

"A little," I allowed myself to admit. Without conversation, I feared that I might die of boredom before Audrey or whoever could come back to have her fun with us. "There isn't much else to do in here, is there? Other than to sit and wait…and count the stones and the cracks. But after that, there isn't anything else to do."

"I've found in my life that my own thoughts tend to frighten me more than reality." He said, after a half a beat of silence.

"Maybe you just have a disturbed mind." I pointed out, a grin that he could never see creeping onto my face.

He responded with deathly seriousness. "That might be so." He added, "What about you? You don't seem to be the kind of person who thinks of daisies and dolphin. What do you think of when there is nothing for you to do?"

"I want to change things," I said, and I found that the words fell from my lips without me needing to think of them. "The world, I mean. I want to make things better for everyone, in the end. Unfortunately, that means that things have to get rather bad for some people in the mean time."

"That's noble of you, but there isn't a lot that one person can do to change the whole world. People have tried for centuries. Sure, some make a difference, an impact, but in the end, the world stays the same."

I shook my head at that, and pushed away the blonde hair that fell into my face. "Maybe one person can't do everything alone, but every revolution needs a rebel, every fire needs a spark, and every disaster needs a catalyst. I plan to be all three."


	2. Chapter Two: Burn for Me

Chapter 2:

Audrey came late in the evening. The wicked sound of her heels upon the stone floors always signaled her arrival.

For the first time, I found myself pleading internally, "Pick me. Come to me. Leave him alone. He's had enough."

Like she could read my mind (and, as far as I knew of her abilities, she could), she walked to the door of my cell for a moment, before turning about on her heels.

"Alec, darling," She purred, her voice serpentine. The lock on his door clicked as she twisted a key in it. I pulled myself to my feet and moved as close as I could to the door. The chain around my ankle snatched me back before I could get very far. "I bet you've missed me."

"Of course, Audrey," He hissed. At least he still had some fight in him, "how could I not? Your presence is the highlight of my days."

I sank back down to the floor, head bowed as I focused on his voice. He sounded alright so far, but she hadn't done anything yet.

And she had been gone for a while. I expected she had thousands of new games to play with us. On the first few days, I expected to see her three of four times a day, now the days were broken up with Tamsin, a little bit of Eric, sometimes Kiersten. Audrey, as though she were the star of this whole operation, only made a "special" appearance once a day, if that.

Steadying my breathing, for my chest had started to become tight, I listened closely to every noise that came from his cell.

"Stand up." She snarled, and the sickly sweet tone that she had arrived with all but dripped out of her voice, like honey off of oil.

Chain scraping against the floor.

"Turn around, and stand facing the wall."

Whipping. That wasn't very creative of her.

"Count."

His voice came out strong at first, with perhaps the smallest bit of labor to it. "O-One….t-two…three…"

With every number, the sound of leather upon skin filled the air. Whips didn't do much to break a vampire's skin, but the pain was just as horrible.

"Twenty-seven….t-twenty-eight…" His voice started to falter now, and the sound of the strikes became louder, stronger,, with each second that passed. I leaned back against the stone. I wanted it to be over with already. He had been through enough.

But I wouldn't pray. There was nothing to pray to. God either didn't exist, or he didn't care.

"O-One hundred e-eighty seven…."

I wondered how much longer he would be able to hold on. With every strike, I heard the strength in his voice start to go out like the flame to a candle. By the time they had gotten into the three-hundreds, barely a quarter of the way through, all of the power, the fire had left his voice. I could hear the pain start to sink into it now.

I could do nothing. Not with this damned wall in between us. I couldn't get to him, I couldn't stop her. Even if I could get through the wall, Audrey had an entire coven on her side, and we only had one another. We would be dead before we even started to fight back.

"F-fuck… Au-drey…" I jerked at the sound of his voice. It was different, confused.

"Did I say to stop?" Audrey growled, "You still have six-hundred to go."

Without warning, the whips started up again, but something had changed. The tone of his voice changed from moderate discomfort to filled to the brim with agony.

With each strike, his voice broke. She must have done something. Changed the whip, I don't know. Whatever it was, a simple whipping session quickly turned more agonizing than it had been before.

And here I was, thinking that she hadn't thought of any new ideas for the evening. Never underestimate Audrey. I should have remembered that.

Just four-hundred more to go, I told myself, my fingers digging into the stone. I could barely stomach the sounds of his cries.

He could get through it. He would be fine. Whips can't kill a vampire, and Aro didn't seem to want either of us dead any time soon. Once he was done, Audrey would come to play with me, and after she was done, it would all be over- for a little while at least. There was never any way to tell how long it would be before one of the other's came in, or when Audrey would decide that she was bored and came back to try something new.

"Nine….n-nine-hundred forty-five… Nine-hundred forty-six…nine-nine….h-h-hundred forty-se-even…"

My stomach churned. She hadn't been able to break him so soon before. Usually, it wasn't until he was at the last hundred or so that his voice started to be punctured with sobs.

Almost done.

Almost done.

He'll be fine.

He'll be okay.

Both of you will be fine.

I repeated the mantra over and over again. I didn't want to listen to him anymore. I Just wanted it to be over, for her to leave him alone and come to me and be done with it for the day.

"O-One thous-sand… one-one-hundred…"

Despite my efforts to block him out, his voice still broke through. I should have expected it to. After all, my thoughts were silent and his cries were loud.

Only a hundred to go now. He was almost done. Maybe he would have enough time to heal before someone else came around.

A part of me doubted it. If we had time to recuperate in between torture, then there wouldn't be any point to it, really.

He was almost done. It was almost over. Everything would be fine, it just had to be.

But the question creeped into my mind before I had the chance to stop it: What if Aro did decide that he wanted either of us dead?

Being here, it was bad enough, but at least I had someone to talk to, something to override the pain with the smallest bit of happiness. If he were to be killed, then I would have nothing.

Just the walls and my mind. And nothing else.

I've heard of people going insane in places like this, where the mind is allowed to grow dull from lack of stimulation. I expect the process is even faster, when the only thing one has to look forward to is nothing but sheer agony.

He couldn't die. No matter what, he had to hold on, to fight back, and I would do the same for him.

Like a faint whisper, the flutter of a butterflies wings, he panted, "T-Twelve h-hundred…sixteen…"

A sound of metal clinking, then stone thumping against stone, and at last, the oh, so wonderful noise of her heels growing softer…softer…

I braced myself. I could not recall a time when she had come to "play" with him, that she had decided to leave me alone.

There she was, her lips curled into a devil-approved smile as she watched me through the tiny, barred window of the cell. Auburn hair fluttered down her back, darker than normal in the dim lighting. To a human, she would have been barely visible, but to me, her features stood out horrifically.

"Sao…Sao…Sao…" She sing-songed, moving to unlock the door. It swung open, and on instinct, I backed away from her as quickly as I could.

There was no point to it really. She could get to me. The cell was only six feet each way and I had a chain wrapped around my ankle.

"Awww, aren't you so pretty, sweetheart." She hummed, her eyes traveling up my body. I had scars everywhere and the carving on my face that she had induced last time she was here. I wasn't anything close to pretty, now.

Audrey thought things like that were pretty. The more someone was broken, the lovelier they were to her.

I pressed my lips into a tight line, eyes trailed on the ground in front of me. She took a tiny step closer to me, her lips parted in an almost curious fashion.

"You know…." She began, turning abruptly to walk to the rack of whips that I was lucky enough to have hanging on my own wall. It was quite an interesting selection. "It is wise, when you are complimented by someone, to say "thank you.""

"Thank. You."

Her fingers curled around a horrid thing that she hadn't used yet. Instead of one leather strap, I counted at least a dozen. At the end of them, there was a barbed-hook that dripped with a strange, black liquid that filled the air with smoke.

"I've thought long and hard about the games that we might play with one another, my sweetling." She himmed, her fingers running along one of the leather straps. Her eyes trailed up and down my body in a way that was almost lustful. I imagined that torture was almost like sex for her. "Take off your top, my love."

What was the point of that? It was nearly all ripped to shreds anyway.

But I didn't want to incur anymore of her wrath than I knew I would alredy, so I obeyed her orders. Fingers trembling, I buttoned my blouse and allowed it to drop down to the floor.

"Are you going to be a good girl, or am I going to have to lock you up against the wall?" She cooed. Her voice sent chills down my spine, and my stomach twisted with distaste. Everything she did made me feel dirty and violated.

With a heavy sigh, I nodded, "I will be good."

Her lips pulled back into a wide grin. "Excellent. Rise and stand against the wall in front of you."

My legs shook as I pulled myself up off of the ground, stepping towards the wall until I was all but nose to nose to it."

"You know the rules. Miss a number, or repeat the previous, and I'll start all over."

Gently, just so I could feel it, she allowed one of the hooks to graze my back. I jumped, teeth clenched together. The smallest touch burned something horrible.

"Y-yes…" I breathed, leaning my forehead against the wall in order to brace myself. "I r-remember."

She stepped back a few paces, giving the whip a few twirls upon the ground before striking my left shoulder. I grunted, barely managing to stifle a breathless gasp.

"One…on-one…"

She hadn't told me what number I was expected to last until. Typically, it was one last for every year of my life, but something told me she was not in such a lenient mood.

That liquid that had dripped from the spikes was like fire on my skin. I felt the skin of my back ripped away with every strike.

"For-ty… forty- n-nine…" I gasped, my nails digging into the wall as I struggled to stand upright. If I collapsed, she would just make me start over again.

"Who are you working with?" She demanded, her words punctuated with three whips.

I furrowed my brows. These sessions normally didn't include an interrogation. "Six-ty five…. Sixty-six….six…six-ty seven… No one. I don't have anyone I'm working with."

"Liar." A snarl. Another strike.

"Sixty e-eight…" I whimpered. To imagine that I had barely under four-hundred left to go. Alec must think me pathetic. "I'm not lying. I don't have anyone to work with. It's just me."

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" She laughed, the sound raw and dead. "My sweet, I do not believe you have it in you to plan a coup all by yourself. Did you have help on the inside?"

"No! I don't have any help. I don't trust anyone to help me, anyway. It's just me. I swear."

"Hmmm…. " She moved closer, and without warning, her nails dug into my bare arms. "I still think you're a disgusting little liar, Saoirse. Aro has read your mind, and he has seen other figures in it. And they are not from long ago. Do you care to explain that, my love?"

I felt my chest clench hard, and for a moment, the pain there was even greater than the burning that had spread across my back and upper ass (a few of her lashes had landed hard enough through the fabric of my cotton trousers).

"I…t-there was one other. A boy. He discussed helping me, but he turned his back at the last second. I went on alone."

Audrey tilted her head from one side, and then to the other, but her eyes never left my face. Why couldn't Aro just come down here and read my mind himself?

"Clever, Saoirse." She said, her tone impressed. "Given your reputation, I would have thought you more eager to give away a fellow traitor."

No. That was the last thing I would do. I would not betray someone who had earned my loyalty.

"N-no…" I stammered, my eyes falling to the ground as she motioned for me to turn around to face the wall again. Before I could suck in a breath, I felt the wrath of the whip against my back.

"S-Seventy…. Seventy-one…seventy-two…" I grunted, internally hoping that I had picked the right number to start back up on. I couldn't bleed, but my back felt wet and cold. An odd, metallic scent filled the air.

"How long have you been planning the attempted siege on the castle?" Her words came out sharp as the whip that punctured them. On the third strike of that set, a hook grabbed onto my skin, right at the shoulder, and ripped a chunk off.

"F-Five y-years…" I managed to breathe out, "Eighty-eight…eight-nine…ninety…"

"How many people were involved, originally?"

I chewed hard on my lip. I couldn't give names. I wouldn't stoop so low. "At our max, we had forty-one. When it came time for the coup, we were down to four. In the end, it was just me."

Audrey chuckled. My bones shook at the sound alone. "You must be quite the leader if you were able to disband a troupe of forty-one in only five years."

"They did not think the cause as worthy as I did." I muttered, my falling against the stone. The coolness felt wonderful.

"And is this…all you hoped for?" She inquired, gesturing around the cell. The darkness was my home now. I followed the movement of her arms. In the week I had been prisoner, I memorized every crack and crevice, every mark and divot of this place. The shadows were my friends. The crickets and the rats, my familiars.

I knew the sound of his voice. The tenor of his whispers. My world was very small, and some parts of it were sad and bleak, but there were somethings that made it more bearable.

More boldly than I wanted to admit, I turned to Audrey and nodded. "Yes, I think it is."


	3. Chapter Three: Of Governments and God

Chapter Three: Of Governments and God

When Audrey left, I scrambled over to the wall that linked our cells with one another. Each movement sent fire down the center of my back, but I couldn't say that I was bothered that much by it. I had other things to worry about than how much my body hurt.

"Alec," I whispered, voice sharp and desperate. I held my breath, waiting for a response.

"Yes?" He answered after a few moments. His voice trembled, but if he could speak to me, then I felt sure that he was going to be alright.

"Are you alright?" I breathed out, knowing how stupid of a question it was in the back of my head. He couldn't be alright. Alive was not the same thing as okay.

"I'm glad you can't see me, Saoirse." He said. The familiar sound of chain dragging along the floor filled the air. "She's gotten worse. Last time she was…business like. Detached. Today…it was as if she was personally infuriated with me."

"She interrogated me. She wanted to know who else had planned the coup on the castle with me." I murmured. It was strange. Audrey wasn't the type to ask questions while she whipped every ounce of strength out of your body. I wondered if Aro had put her up to it. It made sense. If he needed to get information out of us, Audrey was the best person for the job.

"Is that why you're here?"

I wasn't sure if I should tell him, for a moment, but who else did I have to confide in?

"It wasn't just me at first. I told her that we had a rather large amount of people who wanted to see the Volturi overthrown. But… I think most of them were scared, in the end. They didn't realize the risks involved at first."

"But you did?" He asked.

I nodded on instinct, though I knew that he couldn't see me. "I've been around corrupt governments since I was a little girl. Tyrants have not frightened me for a long time."

"Aro is not exactly frightening on his own." He supplied, and I imagined that he was sitting against the wall in the same spot that I was, our backs separated by a few inches of stone. "But…the people that he has on his side, the things they would do for him…that is horrifying. I know thousands of people who would slaughter anyone he told them to. People who would murder their mothers and siblings just to make him happy."

My stomach churned at his words. I knew some from long ago who did much of the same thing. It was incredible how many people would devote themselves to one person. When that person was as charismatic and cruel as Aro tended to be, it was a very dangerous situation indeed.

"Its funny how abhorrent people tend to have the most allies," I remarked, allowing my eyes to close for less than a second. We couldn't let our guard down in this place, and I was grateful that we didn't have to sleep. I could only imagine how terrible the nightmares would be.

"I think it has to do with charisma. Normally those who are in power have sociopathic tendencies. One of the traits of a true sociopath is overwhelming charm." He said, his tone almost bored. A loud thunk, thunk, thunk came from his cell. I wondered if he had broken a bit of stone off of the wall and had taken to chucking it at the opposite.

"Guess Aro has loads of charisma," I rolled my eyes. Perhaps the guard liked Aro well enough, but he was a snake. He would drop and of them at a moment's notice if he thought it would give him the advantage. "He's been in power for, what, about three millennia

"Something like that,"

"About time for someone else to have a chance at the throne." I mused. I stretched my legs out in front of me, bending my ankle back and forth for a moment. There wasn't much room to move around, and my legs had started to become stiff from sitting for so long.

"Better yet, for there to not be a throne." He countered, and I found my lips curling into a grin.

"How would that work, though?" I asked, for I tried to think about it logically. Everyone was accustomed to the laws and regulations put into place by the Volturi. I couldn't fathom how long it would take for all of our society to adjust to the lack of a ruling class.

"We govern ourselves. Or else we establish smaller governments. It does not work to have one person with all of the power."

"I know. I've seen it in other places," I murmured, scratching my initials into the stone. Now, even when I was gone, they would know that I was here. I wasn't just a ghost.

"Where?"

I hesitated for a moment. There weren't many people who knew of my life before I had been changed.

"When I was a child," I admitted after a few moments, choosing only certain details to divulge. "My mother was in the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. I saw how far monarchs are willing to go in order to gain power. It's never enough."

"Of course not," He laughed. Not a chuckle, or a snort- a true, brilliant laugh that made me feel as if I were glowing for a couple of seconds. "No king or queen has ever been satisfied with what they have been blessed with. They always want more. Why else would Aro constantly seek more powerful vampires?"

"What if we were to establish a new form of government? How would we stop those in charge from seeking the same amount of power that Aro has? Once someone gets the smallest taste of power, it isn't long before they run rampant with it."

"That won't happen," He declared, a note of firmness in his tone. "I won't let it."

I wanted to believe him. To be able to put all of my faith into a person that I had known for only a week, but I couldn't. "You know you can't guarantee that."

All I wanted was for the wall that separated us to crumble down into nothingness. I wanted to see him, to put a face with the voice that had been the only sort of comfort to me. I could will people to do many things, but I couldn't incite stone to break apart just because I wanted it to. If that were the case, this castle would be level to the ground by now, and nothing but a page in some history book.

One day, this castle will be nothing but a memory, but I suspected that it would be a long time before any vampire would be able to forget the horrors the Volturi caused.

"Maybe I can't, but we can try. We can learn from the mistakes of the past." He paused, but only for a couple of seconds. "I used to think that the Volturi had the right idea. In general….maybe it is good to have some regulations for our kind. There methods, though….are too drastic. They slaughter thousands on the smallest infraction."

A bit back a laugh. Funny how many people died in the world because of one person.

"Absolute power corrupts, absolutely- oh, so they say." I murmur, digging my nails into the stone underneath me. "When we get out of here… I'm going to claw his eyes out of his skull."

"Saoirse, I don't think we're going to get out of here," He said, his voice softer than it normally was. "Think about it- how many people do you hear down here?"

"None. Just…Just me and you." I answered. The dungeons were full of cells, but all of them were empty- save from ours.

"Exactly. Aro doesn't keep prisoners. He takes what he wants after them, and then he has them killed. Once he gets bored hearing us scream…or he gets the information he wants, then he'll have us offed. Maybe he'll let Audrey and the lot of them have a final hurrah with us and then…"

My chest felt heavy, tight. I wouldn't die. I had too much to do.

"I don't want you to die." I breathed, voice faltering just a bit. "I don't want to die."

"Sao… I don't believe we have much of a choice. Audrey could kill us whenever she wanted if Aro told her she could. Like we said before, there are hundred of them and two of us…and we aren't exactly in a position to help one another." He sighed. "I wish neither of us had to be here. I pray to God ever-"

"Don't. Don't do that." I told him before I could stop myself. "Don't pray to something that isn't there."

"You don't believe in God, then?" He inquired, and I heard a note of disappointment in his voice. I scoffed, and pushed myself to my feet.

"I haven't believed in a God since I was a child. You pray and pray and pray and nothing helps you. God isn't real. Maybe there is something out there, but it isn't going to help us. The only thing we have to rely on in this world is ourselves." I declared, my voice ringing strong and powerful through the stone walls. My chest rose and fell steadily. I didn't need to breathe, but almost on instinct, my breath tended to increase whenever something got me worked up.

"That's a very sad outlook to have on life," He answered evenly, "If God doesn't exist, then how did we all come from? You and I…animals, plants, everything?"

"There are thousands of other explanations for how the universe came into existence," I countered. I heard all of the religious arguments. There wasn't a God. Nothing could change my mind about that. Certainly not some boy that I just met in a cell.

"Explanations? So you believe that all of this happened by change? That…some cells and atoms just…clashed on their own accord, or by a happy accident and….millions of years later, here we are." He was determined, but so was I. I didn't expect that either of us would give up our world views without a fight.

I took a few steps closer to the wall, arms crossed over my chest. Maybe I should be sitting down, conserving my energy for when one of them came in to have their nightly fun, but I couldn't stand to sit still. I had too much to say.

"From a scientific standpoint, Alec, it makes more sense that all of this happened by chance. Carbon dating puts the world back at a few million years. The universe even long. The Bible only seems to go back a couple thousand years."

"There is no indication of a clear time line in the Bible. For all we know, a thousand years could have passed from Genesis to Exodus and so forth. We can't just take science as a clear sign that the Bible, all the accounts in it, is entirely fiction."

"What about all of the other religions in the world. They have some basis of truth. It's not as though someone just pulled Buddhism out of their ass and was like "oh hey, let's all do this religion"." I countered. I had studied some other popular religions of the world, but nothing ever stuck with me. They all focused on something that no one could see. "How do you know that you're religion is right and theirs is wrong?"

"No one can ever know that for sure, Saoirse, but that is why it is called faith. You put your heart, your soul into something in hopes that things will turn out right in the end. You believe in something bigger than yourself, than anyone." He explained. He sounded passionate, like a preacher, but less annoying. I wanted to tune him out, to ignore everything that came out of his mouth at this moment in time, but I couldn't. Even if I disagreed with him on this more than I could on any other subject, I still wanted to hear his voice.

He believed that something watched over him. He was never truly alone, it he thought that. Me, I was. Without his presence next to me, I was the only one in this stone abyss. I didn't want to be alone. Not entirely.

"You must have had good experiences when you were a human," I supplied, absently taking a bit of my hair and twisting it into a braid, just so that I had something to do with my hands.

"No…no, not really." He said after a few moments, "My sister and I were persecuted when we were children. The townsfolk thought us to be witches, so they burned us. It was a far more superstitious time."

I winced. The imagine of him and some faceless girl on pyre's, screaming for mercy, flooded my head. "I'm sorry…" I murmured, "But then….how are you so sure of your faith, when you were hurt by those who follow it, too?"

Again, his answer came a few moments later. In a way, I appreciated the delay. It made me feel like he was really thinking about what I had asked him.

"I think it's a lot to do with my mother," He admitted, and there was a new note to his voice that I couldn't quite place. "She fought so hard to protect my sister and I while we were being persecuted. She would teach us what she could. I think….learning about God from my mother really helped solidify my faith's."

I resisted the urge to snort, but I knew that that would be rude. You didn't speak against someone's mother, no matter your opinion on mothers and fathers in general.

"It's mostly because of my father that I have so little faith," I said easily, allowing the braid I'd woven earlier to unfurl in the palm of my hands. Funny, how the smallest of things become amusing when you have nothing else to do.

"May I ask why?"

"He…he was a very religious man, but he was not a kind man, either. He was the sort of person who wanted to stone women who spoke out of turn, or beat children if they stepped out of line. He used the Bible as an excuse to hurt my brother and I."

"I'm sorry, Saoirse," He said, softly.

"Don't be," I said, smiling to myself. My father was dead. A hundred years dead, and I was alive. I was beautiful, (aside from the scars that Audrey had so lovingly inflicted.) I was eternal. I hadn't succumbed to illness, or attack, or old age. I would be around to see empires rise and fall, and my father would not be. "It's not as though any of the demons of our past can come back to haunt us."

"You know," He began, pointedly, "If you believe in demons, you have to believe in angels."


	4. Chapter Four: A Small Reunion

Chapter Four: A Small Reunion

"Angels?" I scoffed, throwing my head back so hard that my skull bounced against the stone. I couldn't resist the urge to laugh. "There are plenty of demons here. Have you ever met an angel?"

He was silent for a second, and when he answered, he sounded more sure of himself than before, "Angels do not interact with humans as often as demons do. Besides, someone acting like a demon and an actual demon are different things. Audrey isn't a true demon. She's just an unnaturally cruel, but perfectly normal vampire. There isn't anything otherworldly about her."

"I think she could give a few demons some pointers," I huffed, folding my arms over my chest. Briefly, my eyes shifted to the door, half expecting Audrey to appear the second I said her name. I wondered what she did, when she wasn't down here. Was all of her time spent trying to think of ways to torture us and the other prisoners? Did she have some other, decent sort of hobby- something normal like reading or painting?

No, I decided rather quickly. Audrey could never find any joy in something as peaceful and expressive as art. The amount of happiness she got from watching us scream, could never be matched by something else.

"I can't argue with you there," He said, and I felt thrilled that we finally found something we agreed on. "Wonder how long it'll be before they send some of the others. Compared to Audrey, Tamsin is as tame as a rabbit."

"Tamsin's all emotional trauma." I rolled my eyes. Tamsin, a tiny ash-blonde thing who could turn into anyone at all (provided that the person she was imitating wasn't within a certain radius of her), loved turning into the friends and family of prisoners and torturing them under that guise. "She has nothing on me. How about you?"

"It works, a little bit," He admitted. I raised my brows.

"Who does she turn into?" I asked, lowering my voice.

"My sister, but she's only come once." He told me, and the thumping of rock smacking against the wall started up again. He had to have been just as bored as I was. "I knew it was her, but… it still hurt, to look back and see my sister staring at me."

"I'm sorry," I murmured, and meant it. "I had a brother, once."

"Once?"

"He died, years ago. I barely remember what he was like. I don't even know if we were close or not."

He let out a short, amused laugh, "Jane and I are. We've been inseparable since birth until…well, two weeks ago."

"What's she like?" I asked, before I could stop myself. Maybe it wasn't the kindest thing to ask about someone that he missed so much. I had forgotten how to miss a sibling long ago. Perhaps, if my brother had been made eternal with me, he and I would have been as close as Alec and his twin were.

"Jane?" He asked, and if judging from the tone of his voice was anything to go on, he didn't seem to be upset at me bringing her up, "Jane is different with me than she is with anyone else. With others she doesn't show a lot of emotion. She's…closed off. It's hard to make a connection with her. But between the two of us, it's…it was very affectionate. We were there for one another since birth."

"Where is she now?"

This time, he sounded uncertain, hesitant, "I… I don't know. In the castle, still. Maybe still working for Aro, or-"

"Wait. Working for Aro? I thought you hated Aro."

"I do. But my sister and I were on the guard for over a thousand years. I suppose we can consider this my unofficial termination of employment."

I felt my heart sink a little. I'd hated the Volturi ever since my rebirth as an immortal, and now, the only companion I had had been loyal to them for longer than I'd been alive.

"Oh. I guess it's lucky that my plan fell through."

"You sound upset," He observed. I pouted to myself, but didn't answer. I truly didn't know what I wanted to say. "Sao. Come on, we've been here together for a long time now. I think we can confide in one another to a certain extent."

"I thought you were like me," I answered, forcing the words that had rested like a brick in the back of my mind to come through my mouth. "A fighter. Someone against the Volturi…but you're not. You are them."

"Saoirse, I want you to listen to me." He said, and he suddenly sounded older than he had anytime before now. I tried to imagine his age, but I couldn't place it at all. "I was a part of the Volturi. I'm not going to deny that, but it did not and will not ever define me. I am not them. They are not me."

I let out a low whine. He was decent, but the Volturi were not, and I couldn't keep them separate in my mind.

"I know the sort of terrible things they've done, Alec." I murmured, drawing my knees up to my chest. "Did you do things like that?"

He did not hesitate to answer. "Yes. I have. I am not going to pretend that I've been a saint for the last ten centuries. I have done horrible things. Some of them I enjoyed. Some of them were too cruel for me to stomach."

"What about now?" I asked in a small voice, "Do you want to do terrible things now?"

"No. Not really. Unless you count ripping Audrey's tongue out of her throat."

I laughed. The subject of Audrey's hopefully gruesome demise was always something we agreed on. "I wouldn't mind if you tore her guts out and strung them across the walls like party garland."

"That would be a very interesting party." He replied, "What exactly would we be celebrating?"

I scoffed. That should have been obvious, but maybe not as much as I thought.

"Audrey's death, the fall of the Volturi….Aro's assassination. I think anything is worthy of a grand celebration."

"When Aro dies, I think the majority of the supernatural world will be having festivals in the streets."

"I mean, I know that there are some of us- like Audrey, for example, who just like to slaughter anything they can get their hands on. It makes the rest of us look bad, but I think Aro's taken a few things a bit too far."

Before he could answer, the sound that I had learned to dread filled the air- but it wasn't alone. Audrey's footsteps were coupled with another's that weren't familiar to me at all. Whoever was with her dragged her feet on the ground, where as Audrey walked with an almost overwhelming confidence.

"Alec…" She called, her tone playful. She passed right by me. In the back of my mind, I wondered why she always came to him first. "I brought a surprise for you."

"I'm not interested in your surprises, Audrey." He answered, voice dead. I sensed that he was tired of her games, just as I was. But she controlled when we played, or, rather, when she played with us.

"I think you'll like this one." Click of keys. The screeching of the door as it swung open, and a soft grunt. Audrey must have kicked whoever was with her into the cell.

"I..J-Jane?"

"I'm so sorry," The person answered. Her voice wasn't as high as I might have imagined. It was only a couple of octaves higher than his. Unless I concentrated, I could barely tell them apart. I wondered if she looked as much like him as she sounded. "Alec… I… I tr-tried to talk to Aro. To reconsider, but…"

"No. It's not your fault. Do whatever you have to do to stay safe. Promise me." He demanded. His voice shook, and it was muffled, as though he spoke into her shirt.

"Alec… I can't just stand around and do nothing." She whispered, her voice cracking just as his had. "They'll kill you before long. I… I can't let that happen."

I rested my back against the stone, listening to their conversation. Perhaps it was rude of me to eavesdrop, but after so long of him only having me to talk to, it was interesting to hear him interact with someone else.

"If it means staying safe and in Aro's good graces, then you're going to have to let it happen." He said, firmly. "I might very well become nothing but a memory one day."

"No. That isn't going to happen. Dammit, Alec. I'm not about to watch you die and continue to act like Aro's lapdog. I have more of a backbone than that."

Alec laughed, "Just stay safe. Don't go doing anything reckless."

"I don't think you're in any position to tell me what to do, little brother." She chastised, and I imagined her lips curled into a playful smile. That had at least answered the question I had of which one was older. "Please just stay strong. Don't let her break you."

I was honestly shocked that Audrey hadn't broken in by now. I hadn't heard her leave, so she had to still be in there, watching them. How long would she allow him to have his few moments of bliss?

Audrey never did anything out of kindness. Any seemingly good act always had a catch to it.

"That won't take long," She said, her voice snake-like. "Jane, I think you've had enough time with him."

"It's only been a few minutes, Audrey," Jane hissed. Apparently she had never suffered Audrey's wrath, or perhaps Aro had made sure Audrey knew to leave her alone. "Let me have some time with my brother. It's been weeks since I've seen him."

"Aro allowed you five minutes. It's been far longer than that." Audrey snarled, but her voice wasn't the same vicious tone she used with us. Instead, it was more authoritarian. "I will make things a thousand times worse for him if you continue to disobey orders."

Jane breathed out a low sigh. "Leave us alone, Audrey. I do not care what the orders are."

"If that is what you wish," Audrey said, after a few seconds of dead silence. Her words sent a chill up my spine. Audrey did not go along with directions from anyone apart from Aro. "Five more minutes. That is all the leniency Aro or I are willing to give you."

"Very well," Jane answered.

"You're stubborn as usual." Alec said, his voice amused. Long ago, both of us had lost any desire we had to argue against Audrey's desires.

His sister snorted, "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not. I'm still in Aro's palm, for the most part. He's thinking of sending me to Bosnia next week."

"Alone?"

"No, with Demetri and Santiago. Felix is in South Africa. Some small coven is acting as the ruling class of vampires and ignoring the Volturi's rules. As far as we know, they have no significant powers."

My stomach churned. This was just how the Volturi worked. They took harmless acts and twisted them into something horrible.

"What's happening in Bosnia?" He inquired.

"Worse than South Africa," She answered, an edge to her voice now. Bitter, angry. "Two men are trying to build a harem of sex-slaves. Their changing girls and boys between ten and fourteen to add to their ring."

"That's disgusting." Alec hissed. "Are you going to execute the girls, too?"

Jane hesitated for a moment, "We will assess them. If they display a common understanding of the laws, then we'll consider giving them a reprieve."

"That's decent of you," He admitted, and it almost sounded as if he were teasing her. "In the past, you would have gotten rid of everyone you deemed to be a danger to our secret."

Jane sighed, "I said I would give them a chance. If one of them slips up, they aren't going to get a second chance. As pitiful as their beginnings are, we do have a secret to protect. We might be powerful, but humans outnumber us a million to one. We'd be slaughtered if our secret got out."

"I'm not questioning your methods, sister. It's just…different to see you even consider letting someone live. You aren't normally so…soft." His voice trailed off at the end. I imagined that he had to think for a moment, to come up with the right word.

"Yes, well," She began, her tone aloof, "Perhaps being without my brother has made me consider a few things. Besides, the moment Aro lets you out of here, I'll be right to my old self."

A laugh chimed through the air. Audrey's. I knew it like I knew my own foot steps, now. High and shrill and cold.

"I do not think you need to worry about Jane being herself when you get out of here, my darling," She hummed, "Let's not give anyone false hope."

Jane snarled, "Keep your hands off of him."

"Or what? You'll attack me?" She scoffed. "You know your powers have no effect on me. And I have zero confidence in your abilities to physically attack."

"I can do more than you think, Audrey. Keep. Your. Disgusting. Hands. Off. Him."

"Awww, that sounds like a challenge. Why don't you run along upstairs, little one. Be Aro's good little girl and I'll make sure your brother turns into exactly what Aro wants him to be."

My stomach churned, and I felt a wave of horror rush over my body. Alec let out a low whimper that sounded nearly like a sob.

Jane took a few steps, but not enough to have left. "Leave him alone. He's done nothing to you."

"You seem to think that I have something personal against your twin, Janie. I don't care what he's done or who he is… I am doing this for two simple reasons."

A strange sound filled the air, and it took me a second to determine where it had come from- then I realized, it was the sound a sword made when it was pulled out of a sheath. This, I supposed, was not an entire sword, but some kind of knife.

"I like power, and Aro has the most I can ask for at the moment,"

Something else filled the air, but this wasn't a sound. Instead, it was a smell. Gasoline. I cringed at the scent, backing up into the opposite corner of my cell.

"And…" Audrey finished, just before the screams started, "I like to watch people break."


	5. Chapter Five: A Fire Burns Out

Chapter Five: A Fire Burning Out

I huddled against the wall as he screamed, my eyes closed as I wished, willed, hoped for all of it to go away. I couldn't tell what she was doing to him now. Her own words were practically drowned out by the sound of his screams.

It was an agonized sound, the kind that came with a pain that was made to break people. Jane must have retreated at some point. I could barely listen to it. How could anyone stick around to watch?

Worse than the screams, though, was the begging. He had never pleaded for her to stop before. He cried out before, but he took it. He took everything that she gave to him- but not this time. From the first second, he sobbed, his voice broken as he begged for some level of mercy.

It was futile. The more he begged, the harder Audrey would go.

"Pl-ple-e-ase…" He whimpered, his voice barely there, the word choked through a sob. A strange smell had started to fill the air. Burning.

It took me a few moments to remember what flesh smelled like, and slowly, I was able to figure out what she had done.

He was on fire.

Only half an hour ago, if that, he had told me the story of how he and his sister had gotten turned. Like some kind of cruel call-back to the past, Audrey had taken that horrific event and made it a reality again.

"Keep begging…" She purred, and he screamed again. Something heavy and hard hit the floor. Him. I felt my heart jolt in my chest. The torture had gotten to the point that he was no longer able to stand up. I wondered if the fire would spread on the stone. She had to have used gasoline, or yet another form of flammeable substance in order to ignite him. Vampires just didn't combust on a whim.

And if the gas had spread to the floor, then the whole castle could be on fire before long.

"Au-Aud-drey… p-pl-please… please…s-stop…"

She scoffed. Audrey did not stop. Audrey did whatever she damn-well pleased and that never included stopping. That would mean not getting what she wanted.

"Oh, darling," She purred, "I can't stop yet. We aren't done yet."

He voiced my exact thoughts, "Done with what?"

Audrey laughed, and it wasn't quite the same cruel, bone-chilling laugh that I had become accustomed to. It was…amused, I wanted to say, as if he was a child who had just asked a rather entertaining question.

"Why, fixing you, of course." She answered, "Aro wants you to be the greatest soldier he's ever had. You will be infallible. You will speak when told to. You will do anything and everything he wants you to do…for you will know of the consequences should you decide to disobey him again.*

I felt surely, if I had any blood left in my system, it would have been all over the floor. I hated the way she spoke to him., like he was trash, something to be manipulated, to be played with. I sank to the floor and drew my legs up to my chest.

"Please…" His voice came out, broken and frail. He sounded like a child, younger than should even be suffering from such a life as we were. Suddenly, it occurred to me that I didn't know how old he was. I imagined that he was close to the same age as me, but that was just a guess, based on the sound of his voice. "A-Aud-drey… p-ple-please…"

An aching welled up in my chest. I felt as though someone had thrust their fist into my chest and had grabbed onto my heart. I often didn't feel many things there. The heart was quite an unlively thing after someone was transformed, but emotion- extreme and raw emotion, was often enough to cause the heart to react.

Audrey didn't say anything, but the screams started again. I closed my eyes, bracing myself against the wall. I couldn't bring myself to move to the other side of the cell. I had to be there for him, as soon as possible.

"It's going to be alright," I whispered, mostly to myself. I knew that he could not hear me at the moment. I doubted he could hear anything over the sound of his own voice. "You're going to be fine. We're going to get through this… please…"

I didn't believe in a God, per se, but if there was anything out there- any kind of benevolent force in the universe, I would adore the help.

He couldn't die. I couldn't be alone in this, and fire was the world's worst enemy for a vampire.

"There we are…" Came Audrey's voice, and for the first time, I was glad to hear it. "Now, why don't you think for a little while about what you want to do, and I shall be back tomorrow."

I let out a sigh of relief. Did that mean that she wasn't going to come to me?

Her footsteps echoed down the hall until slowly…nothing.

"A-Alec…" I breathed out, pressing my ear to the stone. I had to wait until I was sure that she wasn't going to come back before I went to check on him.

"Sao…" He whimpered. I felt my heart break over again. "I c-can't do this."

"Yes you can," I murmured, and I felt a lump well up in my throat. "You can. I know you can. We're going to get through this. I promise."

I wanted the wall between us to crumble. Never before had I wished for such a thing so hard. I needed to be with him. My voice could only service as so much of a comfort.

"I'm not as strong as I thought I was," He admitted. "Maybe I should just give her what she wants."

"No!" I screamed, my fingers digging into the stone beneath me. "Don't you dare. You're so much better than that. You can't give into her. Promise me."

"I don't think I should make any promises to you at the moment," He answered. The life had vanished from his voice. It broke my heart. Audrey had done something so bad, that his spirit, his fire was almost gone.

"We're going to get through this. I swear to you," I told him. I didn't believe any of it, but I couldn't have him leave me. "And when we get out of here, we're going to go anywhere you want. Tell me, Alec. There must be some place in the world that you haven't seen yet."

"Many," He answered, to my surprise. "All of our travel was regulated by the missions we were sent on. If we had to go to a place that was relatively bright, we had to be cautious."

"So where would you like to go?" I asked, rising up on my knees.

He went quiet for a few moments, pondering. "Iceland."

I raised a brow. "Iceland? You've never been to Iceland?" I'd been a hundred times, but then again, I had the power to choose where I went and when I went.

"There was never any reason to. Apparently there is a severe lack of idiots there. Aro doesn't like us to go further than the outside cities to hunt unless we're on an assignment," He answered. Gradually, his became steadier, not exactly hopeful, but it did not sound with as much pain as it had before. "I didn't leave the castle much, and certainly not by myself. Jane and I always had others that went with us, if we didn't go with one another."

"Well, when we get out of here, we are going to go to Iceland and you will see every bit of magic that it has to offer." I promised him. They were not empty words. I would see him in Iceland if I had anything to do with it.

He chuckled. Not the wondrous sound I'd heard before, but it was enough to lift my spirits a little bit. "Where did you come from?"

"Well, when my mother and father fell in love, they engaged in an act of pass…"

"I mean: Where were you born." He snorted. I hoped I'd amused him.

"Scotland." I answered. Faintly, I smiled to myself. It wasn't the place where I had my happiest of memories, but it was where I grew into the person I became. "You?"

"England." He answered. The grin on my face grew.

"Our birth countries weren't very good friends for a while. When I was born, Scotland and England hated each other."

"Around the reign of Queen Mary, then?" He asked.

"Mhm. It was a bloody affair. My mother was hurt terribly during it. She was a lady in Queen Mary's court."

"Must have been nice." He hummed, leaning back against the stone. "To have grown up in court, I mean. Not whatever tragedy had befallen your mother."

I shrugged, leaning my head back against the stone. In the time that we had been here, I learned to be grateful to have something to rest against. We couldn't sleep, of course, but it was nice to be able to rest the body- especially after Audrey had come to call.

"It was alright, I suppose. I didn't see the Queen very often. She had many things she had to do, but when I did see her, she was awfully kind to everyone around."

"We were poor as dirt." He said, "People didn't often have twins. If they did, one or both of the twins died in infancy. It was rare that me and my sister survived. Maybe that's what made people think us to be Witches."

"What about your father?" I asked, "Was he kind?"

"If he was, I didn't know it. My father left- or died, or something when we were babies. I don't remember anything about him."

"I hope he would have been kind. The world needs better fathers." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. If I ever had the change to have children, I would make sure that the man I married was kind and generous to our children.

"I'm sorry yours wasn't better to you."

I shook my head, more to myself than anything else, and rose up on my knees, facing the wall. "Will you do something for me?"

"I'll try."

"Are you facing the wall that's between our cells?"

"Yeah?"

I reached forward, and placed my hand on the stone. "Do you see the slab of stone three from the left and eight down from the ceiling?"

"Yes?"

"Put your hand there. Tell me when you've done it."

A bit of rustling, and then he declared. "There. Why?"

"My hand is in the same place. See, now we're only apart by a few inches of stone." I told him, my lips curling into a tiny smile. "We're in this together. Whatever happens, we will get out of here."

"You might. I don't think Aro would let me out… he wants to keep me too much."

"Can I ask you something?" I inquired, allowing my hand to slip off of the stone after a few seconds. "Why are you here? I mean…. I mean what did you do to make him so angry? Did you do what I did and try to rebel? Did you try to assassinate Aro…or one of the other kings?"

He snorted. A dry, amused sort of sound. "I didn't do anything like that, Saoirse. Until recently, I was as loyal as they make them. I was just like those people I talked about earlier."

"Then… then what did you do?" I breathed out, drawing my legs back up to my chest.

His answer could have sent me into shock, if my body had such capabilities. "I fell in love…with the wrong person."

"I don't understan-"

"It's a long story, Saoirse," He answered, and I felt my hope that he might tell it to me sink to the bottom of my stomach. What he added next, though, lifted it up. To be honest, I felt guilty, wanting so badly to hear of the reason he had been imprisoned. It had been gnawing at me ever since we came here- even more so when I'd learned that he was a part of the Volturi himself. "But… I suppose we don't have any other pressing matters in need of our attention, do we?"

"I won't make you tell me….but if you want, I'll listen. It's the least I could do."

He gave a low sigh, one that flowed into a small hiss. I imagined that he was still in a great deal of pain.

"A little over seven years ago, a…human and a vampire had a child together. Such a thing was unheard of. When we heard news of a little girl who could do extraordinary things, our first thought was that this couple had created an immortal child."

"But they hadn't…?"

"No. Eventually, we came to learn that they had had the child when the female vampire had still been human. Such a thing, I expect, should have killed her. But it didn't. She survived…at least long enough for her mate to change her."

"So….what, you fell in love with their daughter?"

He snorted. "I wish. That would have been easier. No, she was pretty enough, but she had the scent of a wolf all over her. My problem came with Aro."

"Seems to me like most people's problems come with Aro." I huffed, slumping down against the stone.

"Aro was never one to be shown-up, by anyone. He…couldn't stomach the fact that one of his main rivals had something that he did not. So, he set out to create a hybrid of his own. One of his own DNA."

I cringed. It was pitiful that some poor human girl had to carry Aro's child. The very idea of it could make me vomit.

"So he found a woman?" I suggested, "Did he force her? Rape her?"

"Nothing like that. Aro can be quite charming when he wants to be, and when he doesn't look like crumbling plaster, he can be handsome. He found a young girl, someone off the streets, a runaway, and took her under his wing." He laughed joylessly. I imagine the seduction didn't take long at all. Their daughter was born on the seventh of July that same year."

"And she was the one you fell in love with?"

"Not right away." He said, slowly, as if he had to think to find his words. "It would have been horrid for me to love a baby. But…she grew very fast. Aro entrusted me with guarding her and as her physical age grew closer to mine… yes, I started to feel an attraction to her."

My stomach churned. Suddenly, I felt quite miserable.

"Aro didn't like that a guard had fallen for his daughter, did he?"

"It was more that I'd started to shirk my duties in order to be with her." He answered, and the miserable feeling deepened.

"Do you miss her?"

"Some. But… I don't think our bond was a true mate bond. I've seen how mates can get when they're apart for so long. They're in practical agony.' He explained. "Besides, even if we were truly mated, its not as if Aro is going to suddenly decide he wants to welcome it with open arms."

I snorted. I didn't think, anywhere in the world, Aro would find someone worthy of his daughter.


	6. Chapter Six: Love Lives

Chapter Six: Love Lives

"What was she like?" I found myself asking against my better judgment. I wanted to talk about anything that would take both of our minds away from the current situation. I wondered if his…whatever she was, was still in the castle. Did she know that he was down here?

"She is very kind," He said. I made a face. That was just about the most generic thing anyone could say about someone that they had been affectionate with.

"Is that it?" I pressed, scrunching my nose up.

"Saoirse, she was a child. As much as I enjoyed our time together, for all intents and purposes, she was just a little girl. She was sweet, and repressed, and eager to please." He explained. "She grew quickly, and she was…she is very bright."

"Aren't most of us?" I questioned, examining the beds of my nails, just for the sake of having something new to look at besides stone.

"I think I've had to execute enough idiots to know that some of our kind don't have a functioning braincell at all." He answered, his voice dull. "Why are we suddenly talking about my love life?"

"I just figured you'd want to talk about something else besides the bullshit that we are currently in." I said simply. Perhaps asking about the girl hadn't been the best idea for a subject change. "So, when you get out of here, what are you going to do about her?"

"I don't think there is anything to do. Aro won't have us together. No matter if both of us want it."

I didn't say anything for a little while. "I'm sorry. I… You should be able to be with whoever you want."

"Remind me to ask you about your love life at some point," He snorted, and there was a certain...joking sort of tone to his voice.

"That's going to be a very short conversation."

"Because you don't want to talk about it?"

I smirked to myself, "Because I haven't had a love life."

"I find that hard to believe. Surely you've been with someone in your time."

It was sweet that he thought so, but no. There wasn't anyone who interested me, and even if their had been, I had my focus on other things.

"I don't really hold much of an interest, in romance." I told him as I counted the speckles on the stones. Some of the time, it was good to have perfect eyesight, to be able to see anything and everything, even in the utter darkness. Other times, it was a burden. Even if I couldn't sleep, it was nice to be able to rest. When you couldn't shut away the light, it was hard to get your mind to settle down. It churned, endlessly with your own thoughts.

That's why I was so grateful to have him. His voice was a welcome interruption to my thoughts.

"I hadn't, either." He said. It was easy to picture his expressions. I imagined him thoughtful, charming. In a place like this, it was hard to obtain such a thing as charm, but that was how I pictured him. I wondered, too, what the girl had been like. Was she pretty? She must have been. I didn't think he would have an interest in someone who wasn't pretty. "Not until Euphrasie."

"Is…w-was that her name?"

He let out a short laugh. "You keep saying 'was', like she's dead. Yes, her name is Euphrasie."

"That's a weird name." I said.

"Her mother named her after a character in a book," He told me, his tone something of a scoff. Perhaps he found her name as peculiar as I did. "She was obsessed with it, from the second she came to the castle. Before Euphrasie was born, I would have to accompany her mother around the castle and the grounds. She wouldn't shut up about it."

Tenderly, I traced over the scars that had been carved into my face. There weren't many things that were able to cut through our skin, but Audrey had found multiple ways to do it. Whether it be by knives dipped in venom from the children of the moon, or whips coated in the same, our bodies were covered in scars.

"I suppose that is sweet, in a way," I mused, my gaze shifting to another stone once I had finished with the first. "I've always found it endearing when children are passionate about something."

"I hated it." He said, but his voice didn't give me the impression that it had truly bothered him. If it had, it wasn't something that caused him to go into an unpleasant mood to talk about now. "She would babble on and on for hours- and it was a long book. She always found something new to talk about. I didn't have the heart to tell her to drop it, for even a little while."

I ran my fingers down my face, my mind focused on my own appearance, even as I spoke to him. "If she bothered you, why didn't you just tell her? Kids can take a little bit of harshness."

"Aro wanted me to keep her happy," He answered, "And I wanted to keep Aro happy. I was in his palm for a long time. It was…everything that I knew."

I felt my lips curl into a smile. It was hard for me to believe that. He couldn't have been like the others. He was…good, and everything that I had always known about the Volturi told me that they were evil.

"How long were you with them?" I inquired, my finger tracing over a groove in the stone simply because it was something to do. You had to find something to occupy your mind, otherwise, you would go insane long before the torture ripped apart your mentality.

He paused for a moment, "A thousand years. More, if you want to get into the specifics."

"Damn," I murmured. "Did they change you, then?"

"When Jane and I were burned, for supposedly being Witches," He answered. From inside of his cell, I heard the familiar thudding noise that meant he had taken to tossing a bit of stone against the wall, over and over again. "Aro came. He stopped the execution. We were at the brink of death and Aro saved us."

"Why?" I questioned. "I don't mean….anything by this, but what did Aro want with two children?"

He let out a long snort. "For someone who hates the Volturi so much, you sure lack a lot of basic information."

"I hate the Volturi, so I have no interest in knowing the names and backstories of all of the members." I answered simply. He left it at that.

"Jane and I had…abilities in our human form. Some other vampire told Aro about us and he thought we might be useful?"

"Abilities?" I breathed. I had heard of only a handful of people who could legitimately do something outside of the realm of normal people. "Like what?"

"It's hard to explain. We could…cause things to happen. Bad things always happened to people who were mean to us. But… if people were kind to us, everything went well for them." He said, his words slow, carefully chosen.

"I wonder how badly things turned out for them after they tried to kill you." I said, trying to keep my tone light. "How old were you?"

"It was about two months after our thirteenth birthday. Even in those days, that wasn't considered to be a good number." He said, "I bet they thought we were going to make the entire village dissolve."

"That would be quite the gift," I mused, turning my attention to another groove in one of the stones. I wondered how long it would be until I truly had run out of things to do, to think about. I didn't want to consider the day that that would happen.

If one could live for forever, how many milenia of forever would be pure insanity?

"I think everyone should be grateful that Aro has yet to find someone who can cause entire cities to dissolve on a whim." He said, and I had to agree. If someone could cause whole cities to vanish, imagine what they could do to another vampire?

"I don't think I want to think about something like that," I admitted, drawing my knees up to my chest, perching my chin upon them. "Is…. Was your sister as loyal to Aro as you were?"

"More." He answered, "She practically worshipped the ground that he walked on. Jane has a...strong gift. He considers her to be an asset to the coven, at least for the point of punishment. She has been one of his favorites for centuries."

"You don't think she would choose him over you, though." I said, taking a strand of my blonde hair and splitting it into three parts. I didn't like braids at all, but I just needed something, anything, to do with my hands. I had to be thankful that they hadn't chained me to the point where I couldn't move. That, I thought, would be one of a few true tortures.

"She might. We've never had to face the question of what would happen if one of us was to leave the Volturi." He admitted. "Like I said…it's been all either of us have known for… so long. I couldn't really blame her if she decided to stay."

I snorted, biting back a true laugh. "If my twin choose Aro over me, I would beat their ass. You can't tell me that you wouldn't be upset if she chose him over you."

"It would break my heart," He sighed out, "But Jane is her own person. What right do I have to demand that she do something that she doesn't want to? I have no authority over her."

"What if you had to face one another in battle?" I asked, allowing the braid that I had made to unfurl, just to re-do it, over and over again. "What if you had to try and kill each other? I couldn't… I couldn't do something like that."

"Hopefully we won't have to, either. Even if she decides to stay and I choose to leave, I want to think that I know enough about the Volturi's laws that I wouldn't be on their bad side."

As though both of us weren't already on their bad side. Another worry flooded my mind. If Audrey's methods continued to get more and more…creative, we might not survive long enough to escape. A shiver ran up my spine.

I refused to die, but even more so, I refused to let them kill him. He didn't deserve to be in here. Nothing that he had done should have warranted such a harsh punishment, and most of the time, it seemed like he got it worse than I did.

I, who had willingly tried to take down the Volturi, got nothing in comparison to him. He, simply for falling in love with someone, was tortured almost twice as often.

"Maybe she'll decide that she cares for her twin more than Aro," I told him, trying to make my tone hopeful. I knew next to nothing about Jane, but I hoped that she would choose him.

"We can only wait to find out," He murmured. I could tell that he tried not to care what his sister decided, but he did. And so did I. I couldn't imagine how painful it would be to have someone you loved, choose someone who had all but destroyed your life.

"You two have been inseperable up until now," I reminded him, my eyes trailing over to the door. I could have sworn that I heard footsteps, but maybe my brain had just gotten so used to hearing them that it imagined a noise even when it wasn't there. "I don't suppose there's a chance that you would decide to stay with Aro for her sake?"

He was very quiet for a moment. I couldn't tell if he was merely thinking about his response, or if I had somehow managed to offend him.

"I think that's what they want," He admitted after a good minute or so had gone by. "Audrey talked about wanted to "fix" me. I'm sure you heard her while she was in here. They want me to stay. Aro needs my powers. I'm just as much of an asset as Jane is."

I perked up at that. He hadn't mentioned having powers, but if he was in the Volturi- and a high ranking member at that, then he had to have some.

"What can you do?" I questioned. He laughed at that, disbelief ringing in the notes.

"Opposite of Jane, for all intents and purposes," He answered, "She makes people hurt. I make them feel nothing."

"Nothing?"

"I can control senses. Take them away. I can make someone deaf, blind, mute, numb, or any combination of their senses at once."

I raised a brow. Scientists thought that we only had five senses for years, but in recent times they found out that we had many more.

"Can you control all of the senses, or just the traditional five?"

"All of them," He said, and he seemed rather proud of this fact.

"Why don't you use your power on Audrey?" I asked, turning a bit so that I faced the wall between us, rather than the door. "You should be able to take her out without a problem."

He sighed, "Audrey has a certain ability of her own that makes all of our powers useless. We call it a mirror."

"A mirror?"

"She reflects any attack meant for her back onto whoever had attempted to attack her." He answered. "If I tried to use my gift on her, I would essentially kill myself. I'd just…lie on the ground, unable to stop my own gift from affecting me."

"Figures Aro would find someone immune to attacks to be his favorite little psychopath." I huffed, "I suppose that means that my power wouldn't work on her, either?"

"I wouldn't try it. Even if it does work on her and doesn't rebound onto you, it isn't worth the risk. Besides, I don't think Aro's found anyone who's powers actually work on her."

"Hmmm, that he hasn't." A horribly familiar, demon-born voice whispered from the door of my cell. My bones became chilled. I should have noticed her. My brain had made-up her presence before when she wasn't here at all.

Of course I went totally deaf and oblivious the second she was around.


	7. Chapter Seven: Everyone Has a Weak Spot

Chapter Seven: Everything Has A Weak Spot

 **A/N: [TRIGGER WARNING]**

This chapter is rated M because it contains a graphic scene of sexual assault. The scene will be marked with a line of asterisks (*****) at the beginning and end. Please skip this scene if it is something that upsets or bothers you

Every time Audrey came around, it felt like less time had passed since she had been here before. Surely, she had other things she had to do. I never heard any screams besides my own, or Alec's, but I imagined that Aro had more enemies that he kept down here. We couldn't be the only ones.

Strange, though, how relieved I felt when her key clicked in the lock of my own cell door. It swung open, smacking hard against the stone.

"Good evening," She hummed, her painted lips curled into a snakes-grin. "You and I are going to have a little chat, Sarah. Is that alright with you?"

I shivered at that name. "My name is not Sarah."

Audrey raised an eyebrow. I had to think, that if she wasn't one of the most warped creatures I had come across, she could be pretty, but now, any beauty she had was marred with cruelty and haughtiness.

"Isn't it?" She reached forward, stroking a sharp nail down my cheek. "You forgot that Aro knows all of your thoughts, your memories, my dear. Do not thinking that changing your name will make you into a different person. You're still pathetic little Sarah."

I jerked away from her hand, "I am not." I growled, my hands curling into fists. "My name is Saoirse! Saoirse."

Audrey smirked and folded her arms over her chest. "Then tell me, Saoirse, just how are you different from Sarah?"

"I'm pretty. I'm beautiful." I protested. She merely laughed.

"Beautiful? With all of those scars on your face, not to mention that piece missing from your nose."

I scowled. "My nose is f- SHIT!"

Lightning fast, she had taken a knife and struck it across my face. A small piece of my nose came sliced off.

Gritting my teeth, I pressed my hand to my nose. It would grow back, I told myself. It had to. It would put itself right.

Audrey stored the knife away into a small sheath on her hip.

"Well, now that we've settled that nonsense about how "pretty" you are, what else? How else are you different from Sarah?"

"I'm immortal." I responded. "I can live for forever. Sarah would have died somewhere around forty. I have seen so many things that she never could have."

Again, Audrey shook her head. "If you were truly immortal, my darling, it would be impossible to kill you." Her hand came up, pried mine off of my nose, and she stabbed her nail into the wound. I whimpered. "I think we both know that I could rip you limb from limb and nothing could stop me."

She stepped back, satisfied. "Next, my sweetpea?"

"I have a power," I grinned to myself. That was certainly something that I couldn't do when I was a human.

"Yes, you have a power," Audrey sighed. I had finally won at something. "But so did your mother, didn't she? So did Queen Mary, but what did that power get them?"

"That's different." I growled, shaking my head back and forth. "That's political power. I have a supernatural gift."

"It's really not all that different. There power didn't protect them and neither can yours. Do you see the comparison now?"

"I…" I swallowed tightly, "I do."

Audrey clapped, a very odd thing to see her do, and leaned back against a wall, as though we were girlfriends catching up after a few months apart. "What else? Let's see if you really are who you say you are…"

"I'm fast," I answered, the words leaving my mouth faster than I could think them. "I could never run so fast when I was a human."

She tapped her chin, pondering. "You have me there, little one. Do you have any other points? You're three-parts Sarah to one-part Saoirse right now."

"I'm strong." I breathed out, staring down at my hands.

This time, Audrey's laughs rang off of the walls, echoing. "Strong? My darling, if you were strong, you would not be in here."

"I…t-that has nothing to do with this!" I snapped. She pushed herself off of the wall and started to circle around me.

"If you were strong, you would have taken down the Volturi already." She hummed, stalking around me. Vulture, and the rabbit. "If you were strong, you would be able to escape. You would have been able to save both you and him." She nodded to the wall that connected the two cells.

I closed my eyes. "I am strong. I know I am."

"If you were strong, you would have been able to prevent your mother from being attacked." She purred, and she stopped right in front of me again.

"That wasn't my fault."

"I never said it was your fault." She turned away, and pressed a hand to the wall that the door sat upon. "But you couldn't stop a rape when you were Sarah, and you most certainly can't stop anything as Saoirse."

I thought of my mother, and it made me sick. It had only been a few months before I'd been changed. I hated to say that it was one of my strongest human memories.

But at her last words, a wave of panic mingled with the nausea swarming in the pit of my stomach.

"What are you talking about?"

She drew a finger to her lips. I went silent.

I heard his door click open. Feet shuffled in. Three different patterns of footsteps.

"Don't you dare…" I snarled.

Alec scrambled to his feet. I had come to know every sound he made. "Get the fuck away from me."

No answer. Nothing.

Just a zipper.

"Please…" I begged. I was all but ready to fall to my knees at her feet. "Leave him alone."

"I don't think I can do anything," Audrey hummed, tapping on her chin as though she would actually consider it. "Seeing as I'm in here, and he's in there."

I gritted my teeth, but I couldn't push past the sound that came from his cell. I counted three voices that weren't Alec.

"Get him on his knees." A growling voice said. I felt sick to my stomach. I knew that even if I cried, no tears would come out.

"Fuck off," Alec snarled. His demands were met with laughter…

And the sound of ripping clothes.

"Fuck is exactly what we're going to do," The second voice purred. "We're going to have some fun."

"G-get… Get o-off… NO. Ge-get…"

Stop. Stop. STOP!

"Awww, I don't think he likes it." The last voice hummed. "He is pretty though, almost as pretty as his sister."

"Don't fucking touch her!" He snarled.

More laughter. "I think we might pay her a visit when we finish here." The leader chuckled.

"Leave. Her. Alone." He panted, but the fight had started to fade from his voice.

"Sounds like a challenge. What do you think, gentlemen? Shall we give both twins a visit tonight?"

My stomach twisted. Jane had nothing to do with this, and she didn't deserve to be tormented any more than he did.

Audrey stood in the corner of my cell, her eyes closed and her lips curled into a perfectly delighted smile.

"Make them stop." I pleaded, though I knew that she wouldn't do anything. She got off on his pain and panic just as much as they did.

The second voice spoke again. "Fuck, get his pants off."

"No…" Alec said, and I recognized the complete horror in his voice immediately.

But like mine, his pleas fell on deaf ears.

Everything ran together. There were three of them, and he was strong, but not compared to three fully grown vampires.

"Shit… we need him on the floor."

"Chain him up."

"G-get…don't…p-pleas-"

Then he screamed. And I knew exactly why.

"He's tight. Fuck, fuck…"

I sobbed. I shouldn't have, for what right did I have to pity myself when he was the one being tormented so severely. My mind came up with a picture of exactly what they were doing to him. Some of me wished that I could see. I felt certain that the images in my head were worse than the reality.

"Alec…" I breathed out. I had no idea if he could hear me. I needed him to be alright. "It's going to be okay. I promise. I promise…"

I crept over to the wall. He had gone silent after that initial scream.

"Just listen to my voice, okay?" I implored. I needed him to focus on something, anything but the agony he was forced to endure. "I swear, we're going to get out of here. Then we'll go everywhere you want. We'll get Jane. We'll take her with us."

Could he hear me at all? Over the foul things that leaked from the mouths of everyone else around.

"Please…" I whispered as close to the wall as I could manage. If he could hear me, maybe it would help him to hold on for just a little while longer. "I'm right here with you. I'm not going to let anything hurt you, not ever….not again."

Audrey snickered. I'd half forgotten that she was here. "Aren't you sweet. Hopeful little Sarah."

I growled. "That is not my name, for the last time!"

"Someone hold him the fuck down!"

"'Bout ready to cut a hole in this fucker's throat."

My head dropped against the wall. They would kill him. I knew it.

"Are you going to stay here the whole time?" I demanded, looking over my shoulder at the red-haired demon in the corner.

Audrey nodded, smiling to herself as though she had just accomplished something to be proud of.

"I might go and watch after a little while." She said idly, pushing herself off of the opposite wall. "These boys always run out of creativity after a while. Though, I think cutting a few more holes into him could be fun."

"You're a monster." I said, stupidly. As if she didn't already know this.

"I am the mother of monsters, my love." She hummed. Striding across the room, she took my face before I could pull away. "I breed monsters. I am the goddess of monsters, pet. And when you leave here…you will be a nothing."

"Nothing…" I breathed out. The way she said it, though, it gave me hope that we would be set free.

Did I want to be a someone in here, or a nothing out there?

Without warning, Alec screamed again. It mingled with a desperate sob.

"What about him?" I asked. I knew now, asking her to stop would only make it go on longer. I had to make it out to seem like I didn't care what happened to him.

"Oh, he'll be something," She answered. "He'll be exactly what Aro wants him to be."

"That's not going to happen."

She raised a brow. "Isn't it? You'll find that anyone is easy to break. Once you find their weakest points… its only a matter of time."

I refused to believe it. That isn't to say I didn't believe it, though.

And I couldn't blame him, if he did break. No one should be forced to stay strong when they're minds and bodies are shattered.

"Let me get at his ass," The second man snarled without warning.

A feral hiss came from the first. "You had his ass five minutes ago. Back off. Cut a hole in his throat like you said if you're so eager for a fuck."

"Fine. Oi! Hand me a knife." He demanded. The last of them snorted.

"At least his pretty sister will come with three holes already provided."

Jane hadn't done anything. I knew nothing of her past, or her tendencies in the Volturi, but I knew that she did not deserve to be brutalized.

Just as he did not. I didn't think, truly, that anyone deserved to suffer in such a wretched way. It made me sick to my stomach.

Alec didn't scream anymore after the second time. For the most part, the only sounds that came from his cell were vague rustles of movement as they switched positions, or groans as they took their pleasure.

Audrey seemed to be disappointed, now that they weren't verbalizing every single thing that they did to him.

I sank to the ground next to the wall, my knees drawn up to my chest. I couldn't do anything, but wait.

Maybe I _was_ still Sarah. Just as Audrey had said.

I couldn't stop my mother from being raped. I couldn't stop them from assaulting Alec, either.

I wouldn't be able to stop them if they decided to go through with their plans to attack Jane. Could I do anything at all?

I was just a sack of bones and flesh now. Bloodless, lifeless by technicality. If I could do nothing.

Was I nothing?

"Alec…" I breathed, mostly to myself. I couldn't break, though. That would be selfish. I had not endured enough to break yet. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so…I'm sorry."

"Do you see if now, sweet Sarah?" Audrey asked. Her voice feigned concern, and she was a good actress. If you didn't truly know her, you might not be able to detect the snide tone that had snuck into her words. "You haven't changed at all. You're still just as useless as you were back then."

I nodded. She was right. What could I do?

"Are they going to stop soon?" I asked, raising my head to meet her eyes for a moment. "Are you going to do anything to me?"

She smirked. "You didn't realize? _This_ is your torture, darling. You get to hear everything that they do to him. I have to compliment them. This time, they've been quite creative."

I heard the sounds that meant they were done with him, for now. One of them grunted, and said that they should just leave him on the ground like that. Another suggested asking Aro to put him on display, as an example to the rest of the Volturi.

But they left. They left and I felt my heart fill with relief. He wasn't in a good position, but….at least they were gone.

Things were nothing close to good, but they were better, with them gone.

Bored, Audrey exited soon after they had. I pushed myself upon onto my knees.

"Alec?"

It was a long time before I received an answer. Truth be told, I didn't expect that he would be able to talk.

"D-D-dam-ammit…"

He sounded like glass, so close to shattering.

I swallowed roughly. I wanted to tell him that it would be okay, that we would get out of here, that I wouldn't let him get hurt anymore, just as I had told him before.

But I didn't want any more promises to risk being broken. So, I told him the one thing I could keep true.

"I'm right here, with you."


	8. Chapter Eight: Mental Images

Chapter Eight:

I didn't hear him for hours. Maybe it was more than that…or maybe it was just a couple of minutes.

"Sarah?" His voice broke through silence. He didn't sound quite so fragile as before, but I knew better than to think that he was perfectly fine. The only way he could have been any worse would be if he had been killed.

"My name is Saoirse," I answered. I couldn't stand the thought of him calling me that name. Even if Audrey had made a significant argument that I hadn't changed at all, I didn't _want_ to be Sarah.

Other than his voice, it was oddly silent. Normally there would be scuffling coming from his side as he moved about, but not anymore. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I scoffed. Were we really going to get into it? There were so many things that we needed to focus on. Important things. "Tell you what? My name is Saoirse and it's been Saoirse for almost a hundred years."

"Why did you want to change it?"

I wanted to snap, but doing so now, over something so comparably insignificant to what he had endured only hours or moments ago, felt impossibly cruel. "It represented things that I didn't agree with. I wanted something new… to feel like I was a new person, reborn with my transformation. I wanted Sarah to die in the 1600s, just like my gravestone says."

"Why did you change it to Saoirse?"

"I wanted to feel free. Didn't I tell you before that it meant freedom?" I could have sworn that I had. Strange. How this place tended to make memories feel false and time feel as though its standing still. An hour can pass within a second some of the time, and other times, it takes four days for three minutes to pass. I closed my eyes. I tried to picture something nice. Fields, flowers…the ocean, but I couldn't. I could hardly remember what waves felt like, or how the petals on a daisy smelled. I closed my eyes, and all I could see were the walls. "Are….h-how are you feeling?"

It was a stupid question, and vague as shit, but I needed to know.

"It's worse if I move. But, can we just not talk about it?" He finished in an almost pleading manner. "I just want to forget about it. Please."

"Of course," I answered, drawing my knees up to my chest. "Once we get out of here, I'll make sure everything is taken care of."

"Out of here? Saoirse, don't be stupid." He snorted, not quite snapping. I imagined that he was far too exhausted to truly snap. "We are going to die in here. I came to accept it a few days ago."

I shook my head. I wouldn't believe it. I would never fall to the Volturi, and if I could hold on, I was sure that he could, too. "We aren't going to die. I promised to show you Iceland, didn't I?"

"Promises are feeble things to make. They tend to be rather fragile."

"Not mine. Not this time." I said softly, my head bowed against the stone. I wanted to be there with him. I could take a thousand days in bitter agony if I knew that he would be safe. "I'm going to get us out of here."

"I really hope you don't change, Saoirse." He said after a couple of seconds. I frowned.

"I don'- "

"Stay hopeful," He finished. "Promise me?"

"I will. I promise. Just like I _promise_ to get you out of here."

He snorted. "What do you think would happen, if we were to try and break out of here?"

I turned about, and looked around the cell. It wasn't as though it was equipped with state-of-the-art security systems or anything of the sort, but something gave me the sense that someone was watching us, constantly. "We'd probably be ambushed."

"At best," He responded. "We'll be dead before we reach the end of the hall."

We had no way to guarantee that. Then again, we had no way to prove that that wouldn't happen, just as he described it.

"I just want to get out of here,"

"You and me both. It's time we accept our fates." He said, tone dull. He wasn't happy, or sad, or…anything. I wondered if he felt anything at all.

I feared that, a lot. I didn't want to stop feeling. I wanted to feel alive, and if I was numb… I was pretty damn close to death. "Jane will come and help you before that happens,"

"That isn't going to happen. If Jane could do anything, she would have done it already." He breathed out. A strange rustling sound came from his side, and it was followed by a low grunt and the sound of stone smacking against stone "Shit…"

He had tried to move. That must have been it. "You need to rest. Maybe everything will start to heal if you just don't agitate any of your wounds."

"Kind of want to get my pants back on." He answered. "'Sides, I'm not just going to lie in the middle of my cell where they can come back and have their fun without any trouble at all."

I cringed. "I'm sorry, t-that…that they…"

"Don't. Don't apologize for something that you had no part in. It wasn't your fault, and I don't want to talk about it." He grunted again, but he it did not sound like he had collapsed this time. "I just want to forget."

"I understand," I replied, sinking down the wall. "Alec? What do you look like?"

It was stupid, I knew. But I wanted to be able to put a face with the name and voice.

"Like utter and complete shit."

I rolled my eyes. "That isn't exactly what I meant. I mean…. How old are you? What color is your hair? How tall are you? What color were your eyes before you changed?"

"Why?"

"I want to picture you, and know that I'm semi-correct in what I'm imagining."

He laughed, and this one didn't sound quite as false as the ones before now. "Do you want to know what I used to look like, or what I look like now?"

I thought for a moment. I had a small inkling of the injuries he had received. All I had to do was apply those to his original appearance and it would be close to how he looked now.

"Before," I said finally, "I want to be able to picture you when we talk. It makes things feel less… lonely."

"I have brown hair," He said finally. I shouldn't have expected him to be particularly descriptive, and right now, any detail I could get would be welcomed. "Dark, I guess. Not close to black but pretty dark."

I smiled to myself as the ghost that I imagined for so long finally took a shape, a face.

"What else?" I pressed, drawing my knees up.

"I… Uhhh… my eyes would be red, of course. I expect both of ours are pretty close to black by now."

"Pretty sure my entire eyeball is black." I snorted, rolling my eyes. We'd gone so long without blood that the ache had finally started to die down, as tough the burn had numbed all of the nerve-endings in our throats. "Are you tall?"

He snorted. "No. Not at all. You're probably taller than I am."

"I'm about four-foot-eleven." I answered, "You'd have to be a hobbit if you're shorter than I am."

"One inch. I have you beat by one _fucking_ inch." He scoffed. "Unbelievable."

"I'm sorry for your suffering, Alec," I teased. So I had a brown-haired boy barely taller than myself just a couple of feet away from me. "Do you want to know anything about me?"

"If you want," He said. He sounded indifferent. Not in the way that he wholly didn't care, but in the way that made me sure he wouldn't press me to tell him anything that I didn't want to. "To be honest, I have wondered, a bit."

I took a lock of my hair and held it in front of my eyes, a few inches dangling over my fingers. "I have blonde hair. A dark blonde, but… blonde still. It's kind of wavy. Looks like shit now, of course."

"Another pretty blonde," He laughed shortly. "I should have expected you would be blonde."

"I wouldn't exactly add pretty to it, though." I probably looked like a half-dead skeleton monster what with the chunk missing from my nose. It could be worse, I figured. At least she had the decency to leave the majority of my face intact. "I… I'm kind of fat."

"Fat. Right."

"Well… I mean, not really. I guess I just have an ass, but if I go by the actual BMI weight to height chart shit, then it says I'm fat. Whatever, right?" Female beauty and weight and body standards be damned.

"I'm sure you look just fine." He sighed. "Don't tell me you actually concern yourself with the bullshit doctor's adhere to?"

"Not at all," I huffed, my lips pressed into a tight line. My own body was not my concern, but I doubted the malformations my injuries in here had caused my face to have would be well received by the public eye. A vampire was never much worried about the opinions of humans, but we did tend to have something of an ego. At least, I did. I wanted so bad to be thought of as pretty, even by those that I had made frequent meals of.

"You said she cut words into your forehead, before?" He asked. He sounded concerned, but it could have been nothing more than curiosity. "Did you ever figure out what they were?"

I lifted my hands up to my forehead, brow furrowed just slightly as I traced over letters.

"S… L…" I murmured as the letters became clear in my mind. "U…T. Slut. Classy."

He snorted. "She could have picked an accurate word, but I don't think there are any nasty enough that apply to you."

"I could have done without her carving anything into my skin." I snapped. My stomach sank almost instantly. "I'm sorry. I…"

"Saoirse, it's alright. Both of us are on edge now." He reassured me. I wanted to cry. I was whining and bitching only hours after he'd been gangraped, and he was the one comforting me. How in the hell was that fair?

Awkwardly, in a desperate attempt to change the subject back to something somewhat pleasant (or at least distracting), I said through a half-giggle. "You sound handsome."

He chuckled, "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should. That's exactly what it was meant to be." I breathed out in relief. It was a miracle that I hadn't made a complete ass out of myself. I probably had more interaction with him in a few weeks than I'd had with another living being in over a hundred years.

"How long you think it'll be until someone comes back?" He asked. I felt a chill run down my spine, and turned towards the door.

"Isn't there that saying, "speak of the devil and he shall appear?"" I asked, "Maybe if we don't talk about them, they'll all stay away forever."

"I've started to miss Kiersten and Tamsin." He admitted. Half of me wondered if something had happened to them. Kiersten was a vindictive bitch and Tamsin was like a psychotic adult-child, but both of them were better than Audrey.

My eyes darted over to the door again. Each time I looked at it, I expected Audrey's face to be pressed into the bars at the miniscule window, just watching me.

I was terrified at the thought of her, but I would welcome her into my cell with kisses and open arms if it meant that she would leave him alone.

With his recent injuries, it would be weeks before he was so much as half-healed. If she tortured him again, so soon…

He could very well die. Vampires didn't die easily. Most of the time we had to be disassembled and burned to be killed, but if anyone had the ability to find another way to kill a vampire, it was Audrey and Aro.

"What do you think would happen if we tried break down the wall between us?" I asked, pressing my hand to a stone at eye-level.

"They'd get pissed off. We'd get dragged to opposite cells in the dungeon, and they'd beat us until our bones were exposed and the flesh was entirely ripped off our backs?"

I cringed. Did he always have to be so graphic when it came to his descriptions?

"So, we shouldn't do that. Got it." I sighed out, pushing my hair out of my eyes. I just wanted out of this place, and if I couldn't have that… "Sometimes it's like you're right here, with me." I admitted. "Then, at others, I wonder if you're just a figment of my imagination…a voice to keep me company."

"I'm no figment, Saoirse." He answered, "We're both real, and so is this Hell."

"I hoped that it wasn't, the first few days. I wished so badly that this was just a nightmare."

He said nothing for a bit, "At nightmare would be better than this. At least we would be able to wake up from it."

"Do you think they'll really keep us down here forever?" I asked. I longed for fresh air, to feel the sun against my skin, to hear birds, or bees, or even the chittering of chipmunks. Alec's voice was one of few noises I'd heard in weeks.

"They'll probably kill us eventually." He replied, "Aro isn't fond of prisoners. If I wasn't so useful to him, he would have had me executed the second he learned of my fails."

"What about me? They've kept me alive and I've worked against Aro since I was turned."

"He may want to try to get you to join," He said calmly, "If he knows anything about your powers, he'll want to utilize them."

I laughed, loudly. The idea that Aro could somehow get me to join the Volturi was by far the most ridiculous thing that I'd heard in the time I'd been down here.

"That isn't going to happen. I'll rip my own tongue out before I join."

"Well, you might want to start tugging, because I guarantee that the only other reason that Aro has kept you alive is to get information out of you."

"Audrey already tried that," I sighed, "I don't have anything to tell her, or Aro. He'll just be wasting his time."

"Then make stuff up," He hissed, "Tell her whatever she wants to hear, because the second you lose your value, you're going to be killed."

"Aro is going to know that I'm lying," I murmured, "He'll be furious that I lied and then he'll off me right then and there."

"Aro hasn't come down here at all. He isn't going to start coming now and it's not like he can tell you've lied through Audrey's own thoughts," He answered, "And you are _not_ going to leave me alone in this damned place."


	9. Chapter Nine: OptimismPessimismRealism

A/N: Hi, everyone! I just want to say that I'm so sorry that this chapter took forever to get out. My writing program messed up for a while :/. So, for this I wrote it on Google Docs, so I hope you can forgive me if the formatting is a bit off. Thank you to everyone for the lovely reviews, follows and favorites!

Chapter Nine: Optimism/Pessimism/Realism

Like the howling fires of the Hell that I had, against my will, started to believe in, she came just a few hours later. I wondered how much she looked forward to seeing us. Surely, Aro did not _need_ for us to be tortured every six hours or so. She never asked many questions. No, this was all for her personal amusement.

"Burn. Burn for me," That was the command that Audrey gave. Alec's screams ripped through the cells. It was a familiar sound by now, but gut-wrenching all the same. She had set him on fire for the first time only a week ago. Now, it was one of her "special" weapons- something that she didn't do all of the time. Burning was reserved, most of the time, and today, at least to her, was a special occasion.

I hated it, but I felt like he would choose fire over the men that had come in before.

Still, it sickened me. He wailed, begged- and he never begged, thrashing so hard against the ground that it shook the wall that connected our prisons together.

My head slammed against the stone, fists beating on it. "Stop! STOP! Pl-Please, STOP! Audrey! Stop!"

I knew, not too far back in my mind, that it was futile request to make. Audrey would not stop, not under my command. She was a force of nature. The sun would stop to burn and the earth would stop in its orbit, sending the moon into the abyss of space before she stopped just because I told her to.

At this rate, I would crack my skull open on the stone. I knew it would be sensible to calm down, and wait it out, but I couldn't.

For a split second, he stopped screaming. I froze, eyes deer-in-headlights-wide. As long as he screamed, I could believe that he was alive. Fire killed us, if we didn't extinguish it fast enough, and I had little trust that Audrey wouldn't let herself get carried away. As much as I despised to hear him in pain, she loved it a thousand times more.

"A-Al-Alec?" I stammered, voice a ghost of a whisper.

"Get up." Audrey snarled, and the tip of her boot hit some part of his body. I knew the sound of metal and stone well enough by now. "We aren't done. I'm. Not. Done."

"Fuck you." He hissed. My heart glowed with relief. He was alive. He could still fight. She hadn't broken him, not entirely. "Vindictive cunt."

She laughed, "You still think this is something personal, hm?"

He pushed himself up, panting hard. "You've been on me for weeks. Saoirse has barely heard from you. This might be cruel of me, but I would like a _bit_ of a break."

"Believe me, sweetheart." She purred, in the way that a snake might purr. "This is quite the torture for her. Do you hear her, now? Here- get closer."

Without a warning, he slammed into the wall. I reeled, a gasp bursting from my lips.

"Sa-Saoirse?" He asked, his voice a hairline fracture- not quite broken, but nearly. I moved back to the wall, hands pressed to the stone. "Has she hurt you, too?"

"W-What?" I stammered. I sounded pathetic, weak- a sniveling little idiot. "No, no I'm fine."

"You're crying," He said, knowingly. Even through a wall, he was a million times more observant than most boys.

"I thought she killed you." I admitted. He laughed. Cold, angry, he laughed. I shivered internally, but didn't shrink from the stone as I so wanted to.

"I wish she had."

"Please don't say that." I pleaded, selfish in my reasons. I knew that it would be more merciful if he succumbed to the torture, fading away into either the Heaven that he believed in, or the numbing nothingness that I planned to find upon death. Either one, surely, would be better than this living Hell. But I couldn't.

Being alone in this dark corner of the world terrified me. I was not brave enough, not on my own.

"I won't kill you," Audrey purred, her footsteps growing nearer. How I wanted to punch my fist through the wall and tear her eyes out. "It's no fun to play with a corpse; they don't fight back enough."

"Leave him be." I hissed, rising to my feet. Even if we were separated by a wall, I would not be on my knees before her. "He's had enough. Let me… come hurt me for a while."

A silence. Audrey did not often pause to think, but when she did, it could mean the difference between torment and a small fragment of bliss- at least, for one of us.

Finally, she spoke in a slow, deliberate fashion. "I think, I shall consult with the Masters- see what they believe the next plan of action should be."

Alec breathed out an audible sigh of relief as she slipped away, footsteps fading bit by bit as she moved down the hall.

"Bitch'll get hers." I hissed, shaking. "How are the burns?"

"They burn." He said, shortly. I could have figured that much.

"Maybe she'll come and have a go at me for a while," I shrugged. Though, she did have a point. It was painful to hear him, and to know that there was nothing for me to do, but that wasn't the same. I didn't want him to suffer at all.

"I _don't_ want her to torture you, Saoirse. But… I don't know how much more I can take."

I shook my head, and smiled at myself. "I know that. She's not just going to stop, anyway. So, it's going to be one or the other."

"What do you suppose the chances of us getting out of here, are?" He inquired. I almost scoffed at the suggestion alone.

"I think we'd be fucked if we tried to leave here. There has to be guards posted at the doors to the dungeons, of not ones every few cells. Unless we could teleport, or turn invisible or actually use our gifts, then we might have a chance. Otherwise, unless someone convinces Aro to release us...we're going to rot here."

"Have you always been this pessimistic?" He asked.

"I prefer to call it realistic. Reality just tends to be more unfortunate than fantasies."

"Still, there has to be a way out of here. Aro might be brilliant and even more so, ruthless. But no one is perfect. Not even Aro." Alec slid down the wall, back pressed to it. "Any idea how long we've been here?"

I shrugged a shoulder. "A month. Maybe two." It was impossible to tell, truly. Without sunlight, watches, or an internal clock to dictate when to sleep, time was almost non-existent. As a vampire, it was almost foolish to count years as humans did, for they were all together meaningless. The world shifted, changed around us. Fashions faded and rose, names fell from popularity into nose-wrinkling obscurity. Personal beliefs, beliefs to do with religion, race, gender, sexuality, drifted in and out of general societal importance.

We remained the same. Our bodies, frozen in time, would never know the weariness of old age. My knees would never go bad. I would never start to lose my eyesight, or my ability to hear from miles away. It was, almost, a saddening realization, to know that we would never experience the whole of life- the trials, the pain, the joy and terror of chance. We were alive, yes, but from the moment of change, we weren't living.

I found myself almost jealous. I would never grow taller. My breasts, hips, and waist would never fill out. It was like being trapped in a cage, where the cage was your body, and you could never escape.

"Surprised we've lasted for that long," He admitted. "Aro used to have prisoners down here all of the time, during the war with the Romanians. Most of them didn't last for more than two weeks before he ended their lives or they went insane from torture."

"Audrey wasn't around back then, though." I reminded him. "She likes for us to be kept around, for her entertainment."

"She didn't come to us long after the war ended and Aro took control of the supernatural world," He said calmly, as though we had started to talk about our favorite things again. "Aro was looking for someone who would act as a ruthless enforcer."

"Isn't Jane…" I trailed off, hoping that the mention of his sister didn't stir up any discomfort. It had to have been a week since Aro allowed her to come and see him.

"She is good at getting attention, at being threatening, but her power only works on one person at a time." He explained, "Audrey is methodical and purposeful. She's demented, but she gets the job done. Jane's power is based on rage, on control and fear."

"I've never thought of it that way." I murmured, drawing my knees close and hugging them to my chest. "Maybe she'll convince Aro to let us go. She's been his favorite, hasn't she?"

"Honestly? I'd be more willingly to believe that Aro will convince her that I'm traitorous trash. She's always been a bit attached to him. More so than anyone, except, perhaps, Chelsea."

"Pretty little linchpin?" I snorted. Chelsea had to be as close to a princess as the Volturi had. Without her, there would be no Volturi.

"Self-absorbed little twat." He snarled. "Chelsea isn't a psychopath, nor does she get off in ripping people apart like Audrey does, but she's a bitch."

"I'm a bitch." I said pointedly. In the eyes of a human, we were all monsters. "Bitch doesn't properly describe Audrey. It's too tame. Too… simple, and overused. I don't think I could conjure up a word that fully encompassed her level of cruelty."

"And 'indescribable' is a massive throw-away term." He said. I had to agree. People used the word far too often, when, in most situations, whatever they referred to with 'indescribable' was in fact, quite describable. It only took someone intelligent enough to find the proper term. "You're rather linguistic, aren't you?"

I chuckled, tucking a lock of hair behind my ears. "Words are intriguing. The simplest phrase can have six generations of origins. How many languages do you know?"

"Fluently? Six. Conversationally, fourteen." He answered. To be honest, I would have expected more. They had to deal with our kind from every country and some vampires wouldn't know English. "Aro made us learn the top spoken languages for diplomatic reasons. If I wanted to, I could learn a new one per week."

"I know nine fluently," I informed him, rather proud of myself. "Seventeen conversationally."

"Good for you." He said dully, but not coldly. "Was English your first?"

"No, actually, it was my third. Gaelic and Welsh was my first."

"Welsh?" He murmured, a note of curiosity in his tone. "Gibberish."

I narrowed my eyes with indignation. "It is not."

"I tried to learn it years ago, but I could hardly get passed a basic level. I don't think I could even hold a general conversation with someone in Welsh."

Welsh was a curious, true, and if someone didn't grow up speaking it, it would be difficult for them to pick up. Difficult, but not impossible.

"Maybe you just need a tutor." I said pointedly. "I could teach you, if you like. Welsh is exceptionally beautiful once you understand the basics of grammar and how to pronounce the words."

"I might take you up on that," He said without little thought. "What languages do you know, fluently?"

"English, Spanish. Welsh, Gaelic, French, Italian, Russian, Polish, and German." I answered. "I can hold a conversation in several more."

"Well, if Audrey doesn't come back soon and decide to rip my throat out, then we can start on those language lessons."

"Of course," I smiled to myself, and leaned up against the stone. "If she comes around and chooses to rip my throat out for once, do you still want to continue with the lessons? I think I could manage to teach even without my vocal cords intact."

"Good, good. We can use morse-code." He tapped out a few letters, the beats rhythmic and purposeful. To me, though, they were mostly meaningless.

I scrunched my nose up. My prowess when it came to written or sound-based languages and writing systems wasn't quite so strong.

"What does that even mean?"I asked, daring to allow myself to seem unintelligent.

"No idea." He answered simply, "I've never learned morse-code. Aro didn't see the need for it."

"Did you learn everything simply because Aro told you too?"

"I did." He sighed. "He dictated everything that we did. What we wore, what we learned. We had to have approval for nearly every aspect of our lives."

"That's horrid." I could never be tied to the whims of anyone. If someone told me what to wear or how to act, I'd kill them.

"To you, but to me and Jane, it was entirely normal. You have to remember, Jane and I have only known two types of lives, our human one, and the one in the Volturi. Until recently, neither of us truly understood that there could be anything wrong with the way Aro controlled us- or any part of the guard for that matter. He had been the center of our world for over a thousand years."

"Good thing you have me, then." I hummed, "Once we get out of here, I can make sure you don't end up dressing like a trashcan."

"I thought you didn't think we'd get out of here." He said in a smug tone. "You called it 'realistic.'"

"I like to throw in a little bit of optimism. Keeps everyone guessing."

"I'll be sure to rely on your fashion advice when it comes to it," He chucked. I was relieved to hear the sound. Audrey always came so close to breaking him. I could hear it in his voice each time she was around. But...it always took but a few hours for him to bounce back, to be able to laugh again. Part of me wondered if I had anything to do with it, if my presence had as much of an effect on him as his did on me. Did he worry that I would die, as I feared for him? Was he frightened of being left alone?

"Did he approve when you wanted to learn Welsh?" I inquired, for when he mentioned it, it sounded as though he had elected to try and learn it.

"I had to ask his permission, but it was my idea."

I nodded, a silent motion that would mean nothing to him. Some of the time, I hated the wall simply because it meant I had to speak in order to communicate. Generally, I didn't say a lot to anyone.

"Alec?" Without warning, a voice broke through the short silence that had befallen us. I tensed. I knew Kiersten, Audrey, Tamsin, and Jane, but whoever had spoken now, I didn't know them at all. But instantly, I feared them.

Arms locked around my knees, I awaited a new torture.


	10. Chapter Ten: Corin

Chapter Ten: Corin

I listened, desperate for him to answer the girl, whoever she was. I clung, like a child to her mother's breast, to the hope that whoever had come, might not want to bring us harm as all others had.

"Corin?" He hissed. "What the Hell are you doing down here?"

Corin? The name was familiar, but only in the manner of names that one hears in passing. I could not put a face, nor a personality to it. Still, I held my breath.

She sighed, as though his words had truly saddened her. "There has been unrest in the castle. Aro is...suspicious of all of us. He's been lashing out. More often than Caius, actually."

"Why?" Alec snapped. I leaned my head back against the stone. "He's still got you lot, hasn't he? He's got Jane. What's got him so bothered?"

A short silence followed. I wondered, briefly, if Corin would honor him with an answer at all. "Chelsea was injured on a hunt a week ago. Her bonds have weakened as a result. Aro has realized how few of us actually claim loyalty to him. Loyalty that...isn't based on someone's gift."

"I see." He murmured. The tone of his voice changed. He didn't sound quite as angry anymore. "And, tell me, Corin...are your loyalties wavering?"

"I do not know. My job has always been to keep the ladies happy in the tower, to keep Marcus from offing himself. I don't often intermingle with the affairs of my fellow Guard members." She paused, but for a moment. "I do not agree with Aro, though. He's… Alec, I'm glad you haven't seen him. He's become unhinged. More so than he was before. He's not just a bit off...he's….violent. He nearly killed Felix last week for speaking out of turn."

Alec laughed. "I would have loved to see that."

"This is serious. He's letting Audrey and all of her lot run around like maniacs. I wonder, some of the time, if he has any control over her at all. I feel it is only a matter of time before we're all down here."

"What do you expect us to do about it?" He asked, dully. I could only assume that the 'us' he referred to was him and myself.

"I don't know." Corin whispered. "Just…try to stay alive, alright? Both of you. I…" She broke off. "What's her name?"

"Saoirse." I answered, just as he said my name.

"Saoirse, Alec. We'll see you soon." She said in parting. I let out a breath.

"Who in the bloody fuck was that?" I groaned. True, I was grateful that she hadn't tortured us, but her exposition about what had been going on upstairs hardly helped our situation.

"Corin. She makes you happy."

"I'm afraid to report, but I am the exact opposite of happy." I mumbled, scrapping a line, almost like a tally mark, into the stone.

"It's her power. She makes people content with whatever situation they're in. She and Chelsea sort of work off one another." He answered. I snorted.

"Do you believe her?" For all we knew, she could have been spoonfeeding us nonsense and lies. Perhaps Aro had gone absolutely bonkers, but that didn't mean the rest of the guard saw him as such. Even with Chelsea injured, I could not imagine that the majority were tied to him only through her.

He sighed. A familiar sound filled the air. He'd started to throw the rock at the wall again. I found some comfort in the noise. "Some of it. Jane and I've been around since the beginning- or close to it. Demetri and Chelsea came before us. Felix, too. There are a lot of people bonded to Aro through Chelsea's gift. Demetri and Felix, and Heidi… Corin, too. I think. Maybe if Chelsea has been injured...and the rest of them aren't loyal. We might have a chance."

"If Injuring her has caused the bonds to become weak," I mused, playing with a lock of my hair. "Imagine what killing her would do?"

"We can't just stage an assassination from underground, Sao."

"No, but if Corin comes back, or Jane, we cou-"

"Could what? Jane would be killed if the thought so much as reached her mind. Chelsea is the linchpin. The center of the whole operation. He will keep her protected, at all costs."

"Then we'll have to make sure they know about the idea without having to think of it." I answered. I knew the words did not make sense. They relayed a concept, an idea, a feeling, that could not be conveyed through words alone. It was the sort of thing that one felt in his or her soul. In my mind, there are ways to think things without truly allowing the thought to exist in your mind.

You felt it. You knew what you wanted even without the exact words forming inside of your head. It was...instinctive, a sensation buried deep in the mind, where no telepath could reach it.

"I don't know." He breathed out. "It is risky, and I don't feel as if I can take more of Audrey, or Tamsin or...any of them."

"Then I'll take it next time. I promise. I'll give her any reason I can to torture me, instead." I promised, pressing my forehead to the stone. He was just on the other side, so close…

A million miles away.

"We'll see." He replied a short moment later. A heard the fight in his tone start to fade away. Audrey had ripped him apart, little by little. But she wouldn't succeed. She would not turn him into a nothing.

I needed to stop thinking of her. Every time I did, there she was. It was as though our thoughts were a signal to her, lighting up in the night sky.

 _Come. Play with us, Audrey._

"We'll get out of here, Alec." I told him, firmly. I forced myself to believe the words that left my mouth. It was hard. Everything within me said to give up hope. But I couldn't. I had to fight.

"You really need to decide if you want to be a pessimist, a realist, or an optimist." He snipped, albeit playfully. I didn't mind. I imagined neither of us had much time for play and joking about anymore.

"I suppose I like to keep it interesting." I chuckled, "Beth yw bywyd heb amrywiaeth?"

"Did you just gargle on your own tongue?"

"No. That's Welsh, Cariad." I informed. "If you're going to learn it, you might want to be able to distinguish between the language and actual gibberish."

"What did you say?"

"What's life without some variety." I answered. I had little faith that we would get far in our lessons before we either died or escaped, but at least it would be something to pass the time. If we kept our thoughts away from She-Who-Must-Not-Cross-Our-Minds, then we might live, just a bit longer.

Just long enough to figure out how to get out of here.

"Interesting. However, it might be better to start with the basics." He said in a haughty sort of manner. I rolled my eyes. I wasn't much of a teacher. To be honest, I wondered if I had the patience to impart the knowledge of something as intricate and complicated a languish upon someone. For one who is not a native speaker, Welsh is quite difficult to pick up.

"Alright. Common greetings, then?" I suggested. "Repeat after me: Helo."

"Hello?" He repeated, uncertainty in the word. "I don't see…"

"No, close. It sounds very much like "hello" but it's not quite that. But...it means the same thing." I shrugged to myself. Perhaps it didn't matter all that much if he got the intonation of that particular word perfect. Most Welsh would be able to understand it just fine. Most did speak English, just as I did, as a second or third language.

"He... _lo?"_ He said, questioning. "If this is where we're starting, Saoirse, I believe these lessons are going to be short lived."

"When we get out of here, we're going by Wales on the way to Iceland." I said, crossing my arms. "I won't let you embarrass me in front of the locals."

" _If_ we get out of here, I'll be sure to bring a pocket-translation guide just to be safe."

" _When_ we get out of here, I'll be your pocket translation guide." I countered. It was exhausting, but if we didn't hold onto hope, then we gave up the last thing that we could possess in any sense of the word.

"I'm going to need a big-ass pocket, then."

"Maybe so," I mused. My mind raced. There were so many places that I wanted to see. Some, I frequented so much they were almost like another home. Others, I'd only seen in travel magazines and internet blogs. Even for a vampire, it was hard to go everywhere we wanted. "We need to make an itinerary of all of the places we have to visit."

"Wherever we go, I want to be at least a thousand miles away from Audrey." He said.

"Don't mention her." I implored. "She always comes a few seconds after we've started to talk about her."

"She hasn't been around for a while." He admitted, a note of fear slipping into his voice. "I'll bet she's been thinking up more games to play."

"It's going to be fine." I promised, "I'll take it for a while and you can continue to rest. We'll get through it."

He snorted. "I hope you're right. Audrey seems to have a particular liking to… playing with me."

"Do you know why? I know she said that she doesn't have a personal vendetta against you, but based on everything she's done, I find that hard to believe."

"Before I fell from grace, I was her superior." He said after a few moments, "She might have been jealous of my status."

"That's petty." I snorted. Audrey was a bitch, but to torture someone merely because they had been of a higher status seemed...childish. Ridiculous.

"We barely interacted." Alec informed me after a few seconds of silence had passed. "The fact that I ranked higher on the guard didn't have any effect on her life."

I froze in my response. Dread washed over me as a familiar sound filled the air.

A second later, though, it changed. I knew Audrey's footsteps. Perfectly. These did not follow the same pattern as hers.

"Saoirse!"

Tamsin, actually in her true form, pressed her nose to the bars. At first glance, she did not look dangerous at all. A few inches taller than me, with strawberry blonde hair that she wore in a plait.

I hissed, drawing my lips back. "Go the fuck away."

She pouted. "Come on. Don't be like that. I've been away for so long."

"Good."

"Didn't you miss me?" She asked, her already high voice lilting to a childish level. I rolled my eyes. Tamsin, compared to Audrey, was a mouse. Still, she wasn't fun to deal with.

"Not at all."

Her eyes narrowed. Teeth bared, she no longer looked sweet and unassuming. For a second, I thought she had begun to change her appearance- but no, she was still herself. "Too bad."

With a click, the door swung open. "Audrey had to go on a business trip." She announced. Now, her voice was low- an ever present snarl. "She told me just what to do."

"That's adorable." I purred, crossing my arms over my chest. "It's almost like you're her apprentice. She's taken you by the hand and is leading you down the Hellish path to being a deranged monster."

"It's really fun." She grinned, as if she didn't catch my sarcasm at all. Bending down, she retrieved a black dagger from a pocket in her boots. Carefully, she balanced it in her palm. "She gave me this before she left. Its infused with children of the moon venom. Hmmm…"

In a single, swift motion, she dragged it across my forehead. The knife itself couldn't do anything on its own, but the venom caused the blade to melt through my skin.

I let out a whimper, and pressed my hand to the wound. It burned. Children of the Moon venom always burned horridly.

"You look pretty with all of those scars on your face, Saoirse." Tamsin hummed. I couldn't determine whether or not it was a joke, or, if in some kind of twisted way, she actually found them attractive. "I think they suit you."

"Get. Away." I panted. The venom was agonizing, but Audrey had used it on me before...why did it have such a bad effect this time?

"No," Tamsin cooed. She kneeled down, and if I had any sense about me, I'd have punched her so hard every cell in her brain got jumbled around. "I can't do that. See, Audrey told me to make sure you were broken down when she came back. Audrey always gets what she wants."

I forced myself to meet her eyes. If Audrey had tortured me as much as she had Alec, then I would be able to withstand the pain from the venom. Now, I was weak. Pathetic.

"She'll need to be gone for c-centuries." My breath came out hard, but I held her gaze. "You won't break me. You're just as pathetic as she is."

Tamsin smiled, and raised a hand. For a split second, I thought she meant to slap me, but she merely ruffled my hair. "You're cute, Saoirse. Don't worry. I'll do my absolute best to break you apart. You won't remember your name when we get done."

I laughed, loudly. "I know how your games work, Tamsin. There is no one that you can turn into that would bother me."

"I'm not turning into anyone, sweetheart." She hummed, slipping the dagger back into her boots as she rose to her feet. "I've found that it makes things much more enjoyable if you do them yourself."

I pushed myself to my feet with a free hand. Finally, the burning started to cease, but not to the point that I could keep my hand off the wound for more than a few seconds. Somehow, the pressure made the pain manageable. "Doesn't matter. If Audrey hadn't given you instructions, you wouldn't know where to begin. Your methods of torture are child's play compared to her."

She quirked a brow. "Have you seen children play, Saoirse? They rip the heads off of dolls and throw their toys about, fixing the parts of some to the main bodies of the others. If you want me to play with you like a child does, I think you'll break faster than Audrey might have hoped."

"Your Audrey's bitch now, too?" I wanted to laugh, but there was no humor in this situation. "What's so important that she couldn't be here to oversee her protege at work?"

"Aro sent her on an assignment. Bosnia."

A chill engulfed my heart. That'd been where…

"Aro told her to be swift with Jane, but we all know how Audrey is. She likes to have fun with her prey."


	11. Chapter Eleven: Shattered

Chapter Eleven: Shattered

"Don't you touch her!" Alec snarled. I hadn't even realized that he had been listening (but, given our sensory capabilities, it would be hard for him not to have heard), but he broke in with a growl the second Tamsin had finished speaking.

Blinking, Tamsin turned her attention towards the wall, and her lips turned into a small smile. "I'm not doing anything, dear one." She hummed, her voice honey-sweet. "Do you truly believe that I could stop Audrey, even if I wanted to?"

Alec said nothing. No one stopped Audrey. I wondered, truly, if anything would be able to stop her. She was a force that no one could reckon with. A hurricane. Tornado, a storm of deviance and Hell. She was our personal Satan.

Tamsin's smile brightened. "I'll send word to Aro, to let him know that you are displeased with this development."

I trembled. What could Aro do? If she decided to listen to him, it was her choice to do so.

"Leave." I commanded, my expression darkening as I met her eyes. "Do whatever you want, but leave us be."

She seemed to ponder my demand for a moment. I was certain that it would be ignored, that she would find some reason to stay and continue to drill us with torment, but she didn't. With one last glance at the wall between our cells, and her lips curled into a smirk, she retreated. Behind her, the barred doors closed with a firm snap.

Immediately, I dropped to my knees next to the wall. I could hear him distinctly through the stones. Slow, long intakes of breath filled the air, but he wasn't crying. I'd heard that enough with Audrey's game to know what that sounded like. No, this was a different type of noise. Methodical. Purposeful.

A while past before he said anything. "I need to get out of here."

"I know," I sighed, lifting a hand to trace a pattern upon the wall. From the distance of his voice, I knew that he had retreated to an opposite corner of his cell. "But how? We talked about it, before. If we so much as try, we'll be dead."

"I don't care." He snapped, "I'll either die here, or die trying to get to Jane."

"What if she's alive?" I breathed out, biting on the edge of my lip. A rather human action, but I'd met many of our kind who tended to retain some small number of human habits. "What then? What if Tamsin just came in here to piss you off?"

"You don't know Audrey. Not like I do. She'll take any order and twist it around to turn it into an opportunity to kill." He rose to his feet, and when his voice became just a touch clearer, I knew he'd come to sit next to the dividing wall with me. "Even if Aro simply told her to bring Jane back to the castle, she'll bring her back in pieces and claim that Aro never clarified whether or not he wanted her alive. She's done it before. Many times."

"I can't imagine that Aro allows her to be on the guard."

"Doesn't have much of a choice." He answered, "With her powers, it's hard for anyone to do much of anything about her."

"I don't think her powers would really work on Aro, though," I scrunched my nose up, head tilted back. If Aro had the power to hear all of someone's thoughts at a single thought, then Audrey's ability to reflect that back would….what? Make it so Aro could hear his own thoughts? As if he didn't already do that?

Alec groaned. "Maybe not, but it's not as though she's going to leave, and if he orders any of us to kill her, she'll just reflect our own abilities back to us. She's like a disease that won't go away."

h

"Well, Audrey's allegedly in Bosnia right now." I answered, leaning back onto my palms. I wanted to leave as much as he did, but if freedom risked instant death, then was it truly a risk worth taking? "If there was ever a time to attempt an escape, now would be it."

"She's only one obstacle. We'll have a dozen to go through just to get out of the cells. Then at least another dozen more to get out of the castle."

I sighed, and tucked a lock of tangled hair behind my ears. The thought of being _out_ was as frightening as it was wondrous. After months of being underground, locked away and made into a nothing, the idea of being outside, free and a someone _finally_ was...almost incomprehensible. "If Chelsea is injured like Corin said she was, then perhaps it will cause more ties to break. We could gain a couple of allies once all of the sheople realize how much of a psychopath Aro is."

He snorted, as though I'd just said something very funny. "Most of those we need to worry about are already perfectly aware that Aro is psychotic. They're just as bad as he is."

"I'm so happy to know that the Law is being enforced by a shit-ton of mental headcases and sociopaths."

"It didn't used to be like this," He sighed, scraping something into the wall. "When he started the Volturi, I… I _think_ he had the best of intentions, but as time went on, power went to his head...and the more he had, the more he feared that someone would come around to take that power away."

"Fear doesn't excuse someone for being a monster."

"No, it doesn't. But that doesn't mean that a monster won't emerge, nonetheless." He responded, his tone dead. I only hoped that we would be able to get out of here- get out, and survive. Then, if we survived, and luck favored us enough that we might find his twin alive, then maybe we'd get the chance to live. "He had already started to lose it when Jane and I came along."

"That was over a thousand years ago, wasn't it?" I asked, moving closer to the wall so that we were as close as absolutely possible. As cruel and sickeningly selfish as it was, I was happy that he was there, just a few inches away. I knew that if he hadn't been there, I would have given up a long time ago.

"It was, but the Volturi had already been in existence for over a thousand years. Maybe even two. He had Chelsea, Demetri and Felix. All brawn...perfect for defense. I suppose he believed that Jane and Alec would make for a good offense."

I sucked in a low breath, a bit back a growl. "He used you. Children take up less space when they die, anyway."

Something akin to a snarl erupted from his throat. "I'm not a child, Saoirse. I haven't been a child for a thousand years."

"I'm sorry." I murmured. "But my point still remains. He just wanted you to be part of his collection."

"I know that. I knew that then, and I didn't care." There was a bit of a scuffling noise and his voice was suddenly a bit further away. Moments later, he started to pace. "With his charisma and Chelsea's powers, neither Jane nor I really minded that we were mere objects in his eyes. He was the only thing we'd ever known. By the time we'd been in the guard for two-hundred years, we had each made at least two dozen enemies. I doubt we could survive on our own. Even with our gifts. He never did think it wise to teach us how to fight. Until a few years ago, when we faced off with the Cullens, we never have any issue in battle. Jane could take down the enemy one by one, and I wiped them out by the hundreds."

"What happened with the Cullens, then?" I asked. Perhaps, when we got out of here, I would be wise to keep up with the news that went around in our world.

He snorted. In my mind, I pictured that he rolled his eyes at my ignorance. It would be nice to be able to see him, to know the facial expression that my questions inspired, rather than having to imagine them. "They had a shield. The mother of the hybrid we'd been sent to destroy. She was-she _is-_ able to block mental attacks. Since Jane's power is all in the mind, it basically fucked us over."

"I guess Aro was pretty pissed after that," I mused, my lips turned up into a small smile. If Aro was made infurious, regardless of the situation, it delighted me to no end.

"He didn't think it necessary for us to train in combat." Alec huffed, and the pacing stopped. With a sigh, he slid down the wall. Half of me wanted to ask about his injuries, but I feared any mention of them could bring up thoughts that he wanted to keep locked away- and I couldn't blame him, not at all. "That was the first time he really changed- at least, since Jane and I'd joined."

My brows furrowed. "Changed? How?"

"He...he was angry. He blamed all of us for the incident." He paused for a few seconds, and when he spoke again, the quality of his voice was different. "We flew back…. He said nothing until we were all back at the castle. Then he called us into the throne room and just… "

"Yeah?" I prompted, softly.

Again, he was silent for another moment or two. "He lost his shit, Saoirse. He went off on Demetri, Felix, me...Jane, Chelsea. But...mostly he was pissed at me and Jane. Somehow he got the idea that we had failed him on purpose. We had been the greatest weapons in his arsenal… he never took it into consideration that there could be someone, somewhere that could stop us." He gave a short, humorless laugh. "I have to admit, it was a bit of a nice surprise. After thousands of years of just watching our enemies drop like flies or writhe in pain, her presence did manage to make things more interesting than they tended to be."

"You said he lost it. What did he do?"

"A lot of screaming, at first. Aro's mostly calm in the presence of others, but on the occasion where he is angry enough to scream...he is terrifying. At one point he struck Jane so hard that she had a crack on her face for about a week."

"If something like the incident with the Cullens were to happen again, who knows how far he'll go?" I murmured, drawing my knees up to my chest. "We're talking chaos...and not just in the Volturi. Everywhere. Anyone who opposes him will be in danger."

"When he hit her... " He began, his words having a halting sort of quality to them, as though he had to pick them with great care. "I sort of blacked out. I was loyal to him, but Jane is my _twin._ I don't think I could ever… care for someone, to the extent that I care for her. I remember just… going at Aro. Then nothingness."

"I'm sure that didn't help his paranoia." I murmured, mostly to myself. With us, though, there was never a 'to ourselves', not when everyone can hear what you speak and some can hear what you think. "We are going to get out of here. We _have_ to get out of here."

"When?" He snapped, "When? We have nothing. We don't even have a plan."

Ungracefully, I pushed myself to my feet and pressed a palm against the stone.

"We're gonna break down this wall." I declared. Three months ago, I could shatter stone with the tip of my small finger within the blink of an eye. I had been healthy, though. Blood filled my system and I had access to any resource in the world. Now, so thirsty the burn had turned numb in the back of my throat, I knew my strength was nothing close to what it had been.

 _I could do it, though. I can break this…._

"I'm gonna be here when you come up with a decent idea." He informed him, and I heard him retreat. "I'm not just going to start beating away at some stones and alert the guards."

"Dammit. We aren't going to get out of here any other way!" Stepping back, I allowed myself to get a bit of momentum as I slammed my fist into the stone. I felt a few of them crack underneath the force, but it was nowhere near enough to cause them to shatter. I shook my hand, and stepped back again, repeating the same motion, on the same weakened spot.

"Saoirse, you're fucking insane." He hissed. Now that the stones had started to crack, his voice permeated them with ease. "You're insane, and you're going to get us killed."

I rolled my eyes, and ignored his comments. We weren't going to get out if we just sat still and talked about how we wanted to get out. That wouldn't get us anywhere.

When you want something, you have to get it. Even forever is too long to wait for some things to come.

"You know…" Punch. "I'm getting…" Punch. "Really tired…" Punch. "Of having to imagine…" Punch. "How you look…."

Shatter.

My fist hit the wall for a seventh time, and with it, the weakened stone shattered. It left a small hole, about a foot and a half tall, between our cells. I backed away, and held my breath. No sign of guard. Not yet, at least. No doubt that someone or something would alert them to what we'd done within the next couple of minutes.

Secrets don't exist in these walls.

"I'm about to have a mental breakdown." He hissed. I hadn't moved to get a glimpse of him. The moment that the stone broke, I stepped to the side. Suddenly, I didn't want to know what Audrey had made of him. I wanted the picture in my head to be my reality. "You need to sit the fuck down or figure out how to get this wall back in place."

Shaking my head, I swallowed my pride and shoved my fantasies to the side.

"We're going to Bosnia." I told him. I knew that the pride, the power, the resolve he once had still lived inside of him. Audrey hadn't broken him. Now, she wouldn't get the chance to. "We're going to find Jane."

I worked my way through the wall opening, internally thankful that I'd been changed at a relatively young age. If I'd been much taller, we'd be more fucked than we already were.

Once through the opening, I straightened up, and beheld him for the first time. The image I had in my mind shattered, and I slowly came to accept my new reality.

He was lovely, that was true. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with his appearance. His hair was just as he had described it- brown, dark, a color that wouldn't be that impressive on a human, but it was the way he held himself that hurt the most.

His clothes had been ripped. I'd never taken it into consideration that they made him stay in the clothes they'd done _it_ in. He stood to cover himself, and when I'd realized this, I averted my eyes.

His eyes, and I figured mine were roughly the same, were entirely black. The color had even started to leak out of his irises and into the whites.

"Please…." He began, holding a hand out. "Please, don't come any closer."


	12. Chapter 12: Escape Plans and Guinea Pigs

Chapter Twelve: Escape Plans and Guinea Pigs

"Please…" He pleaded again, holding a hand out to block any movement I might have made towards him.

With an oddly sharp pang in my chest, I understood.

Frozen in the spot, I observed him with caution. Vampires were little more than predatory animals at our most basic levels. We didn't do well backed into corners. I wouldn't put it past him to spring at me the second I disregarded his requests. "Please don't come any closer."

"I…" I swallowed tightly, but kept my hands firmly clasped in front of my stomach. In the back of my mind, I wondered if he observed my appearance to be as wrecked and ruined as his. ""I'm not going to hurt you, Alec. You know that. We're going to get out of here."

Nevertheless, he didn't relent. It was as though he had been caught between pushing something away and reaching out towards some unseen desire. No one had come down to check on the noise I'd made by breaking down the wall. Either Aro had gone from the castle, or he had wrapped himself up in his other priorities and forgot we even existed at all.

That made sense. Audrey and her monstrous flock were all perfectly capable of dishing out punishments on their own.

Against my better judgment, I took a miniscule step towards him. Were it not for our heightened senses, he wouldn't have detected that I'd moved at all.

"Saoirse…." He hissed, lurching forward in synchronicity with my step. "Stay there. Please. Just….just don't come any closer."

For now, I complied. "I'm not going to touch you." How could I? He looked as though he might either rip me to shreds or fall apart at a meager amount of contact. "I won't hurt you. I promise."

My words might as well have been spoken into the void. I couldn't blame him. I would have been the same way, had they done what they did to him, to me.

"I-I know that," He replied, and slowly, his hand fell back down to his side. I couldn't determine whether or not he finally understood that my words were honest, or if he had just given up entirely. "In my head, I know that."

I hadn't noticed how much he trembled when he spoke. Why would Audrey have gone to Bosnia at a time like this? Hadn't she wanted to see him break?

 _No._ A softer, but still resilient and demanding voice hissed in the back of my mind. _He's not broken. Don't you dare think of him like that._

In my life, I managed to avoid a great deal of interaction with the Volturi- in spite of my blatant disregard to their rules- but I knew that the guard held an insurmountable level of pride in themselves. They were the pinnacle or organization, of control, and if their leader wasn't a megalomaniac with a power-complex, who involved sociopaths and narcissists in his grand design, then the Volturi might have had the chance to do something worthwhile.

"Do you still want to go to Bosnia?" I entreated. Hadn't that been the main reason for our sudden need to escape? I could have lived with a few more rounds with Tamsin. She was a mouse compared to Audrey. Though, if my luck came at the cost of his twin dying in Audrey's horrific grasp, then I couldn't truly consider myself lucky.

We had greater priorities to focus on- more so than our own bitter suffering.

He froze up for a couple of seconds, but his eyes flicked back and forth, as if he had to debate with something unseen in order to make that decision. "Yeah. Yes. Yes, we need to go."

"Audrey's gone, right?" I reminded him. He snorted.

"Funny." He grimaced, stepping past me and towards the entrance to the cell. "The first time I'd actually like to have her here, she's across the Adriatic Sea."

"Bosnia isn't that far away." I said, hoping that the idea that we could get to her in time would bring some sort of relief to him. "Only a four hour plane flight… Maybe a little longer if we run…."

"I doubt either of us could handle a commercial flight." He turned, leaning back against the wall next to the door. "We'd slaughter all of the passengers and leave a blood trail ten-thousand miles long."

I shrugged. "We can already assume that Aro knows you'd be going to Bosnia. Unless Tamsin just came down here to brag on her own accord."

"Do you think they'll ambush us?" His eyes flared wider, and in the darkness of the cell, I could have sworn he'd somehow managed to get paler than before. Impossible, true, but still…it's what I saw.

I took a step forward, closing nothing more than a foot of space in the six feet that separated us. If the cell were bigger, I would have been happy to give him all of the room that he needed. "I don't know, but we're going to Bosnia. As long as Audrey isn't around, you can handle anyone."

"Can I?" He asked, arms folded over his chest, legs crossed on a certain way to try and keep himself covered. "Aro never felt the need to train me in combat, remember. My powers aren't as useful as they used to be. New vampires….with newer powers are turning up all of the time. Any kind of shield...any ability that can deflect the kind of gift that I have- or that Jane has, and we're fucked."

I thought for a moment, "Didn't you say there was a shield that you faced off against years ago? With the hybrid issue."

Eyebrow raised, his blank expression melted away for a second and he looked at me as though I had suddenly grown eleven heads. "There is no way in absolute hell I'm asking the _Cullens_ for help. I have a shred of dignity left in me, Saoirse."

"I don't think asking someone for help is going to throw your dignity out of the window, Alec." I pointed out, but it gave me a sense of relief to know that he still carried some amount of pride in himself. "But… if they'd be able to help, don't you think it's worth letting go a bit of my pride?"

He scoffed, shaking his head. "My pride is so low that I fear letting go of any amount with leave me with hardly any at all."

"I don't believe that asking for help truly relinquishes any amount of pride." I answered, leaning back against the wall, next to the hole I'd created. "I don't know if we're going to be able to do this alone. We can handle Tamsin and the others so long as Audrey isn't around- but we need someone who is able to deflect her abilities. From what I've heard, this Cullen girl might be the only one who could stand."

"Even if Cullen is able to make Audrey's gifts ineffective, we still have to worry about her physical combat skills." He informed. I raised a brow.

"If Aro didn't see a reason to train you and Jane in combat, then why would he bother with someone like Audrey?"

"The Volturi isn't the first Coven Audrey's been a part of," He replied, "She was created by another coven, but from what we know of her past- and what Aro's told us, she didn't exactly agree with their rules. They were too tame."

"They could burn their victims alive and gut them and Audrey would still consider them to be too tame." I scoffed, glancing over my shoulder. Some shadow had fallen over the door to my currently-abandoned cell, but moments later, it vanished. Thinking little of it, I turned back to him. "Did this coven give her some kind of battle-training?"

"According to her thoughts, yes. They were one of the many covens who tried to make an army of newborns. Apparently, Audrey was a vicious little bitch as a human, and the leaders of the Coven believed that she'd be an amazing warrior."

"You have an awful lot of information on her," I mused. In the back of my head, I wondered if all of Audrey's claims that her attacks weren't personal were a lie. Maybe they were connected, and she wouldn't admit that she had the ability to be fueled by any kind of emotion.

"She's been in the coven for over a hundred years." Alec answered, glancing at me out of the corner of his eyes. "We all learn things about one another, living and working together, even if we might not want to."

"If you say so." I murmured, tucking a bit of hair behind my ears. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see the shadow at the door again, but the instance I turned around, it had vanished. A trick of the lighting, I decided, or a trick of my mind. "Have you any ideas to get us out of here?"

He laughed. It held no humor. Any amount of joy that he might have held onto had vanished the moment those men came into his cell.

"No." He answered, his mouth curved into a sardonic smile. "I told you before that there's no getting out of here. All of these plans you're coming up with are futile."

I felt my hands curl into fists. I didn't _want_ to get angry with him, but I could feel a heat rise in my throat and my stomach warp inside of me. Nothing happened, outwardly, though. My face couldn't go red with fury.

"They're not futile." I hissed. "We're getting out of here, or we'll be killed trying. I don't care. But I am not going to spend the rest of my existence waiting for some madman to decide when he is tired of me. Do you not want to see your sister again?"

He took a step closer to me, fire ablaze in his eyes. Even if it was directed towards me, I trembled with delight that he had, at least for a moment, woken up from his numbed stupor.

"Don't you dare ask me something so stupid again." He snarled. His hand twitched at his side, itching to wrap around my neck. "You know that I do."

"Then let's get the _fuck_ out of here." I reached forward, taking the hand that had craved to throttle me, threading my fingers between his. "I'm on your side. Don't you get that?"

For a few seconds, he just stared at our intertwined fingers. "I have no ideas that wouldn't get us killed." He said, his tone dead again. "If you come up with anything that has the slightest chance to work, let me know."

"If Audrey is in Bosnia, I don't understand why you can't just use your gift on the other guards? Just knock them out- for fuck's sake." I rolled my eyes, flopping back against the wall.

"Its not that simple."

"What the fuck isn't that simple about it?" I hissed, drawing my knees up to my chest. "With Audrey out of the picture, you're one of the most powerful vampires I've ever come across."

For the longest time, he said nothing. He tore his hand away from mine and stared at me with a cold, hard glare. "I can't."

I raised a brow. "You can't what?"

"I can't use my power." He answered after another, shorter silence. "I've tried. But… it dissipates before it hits anyone."

A shiver ran down my spine as every idea I'd had before ran out of my mind. "Are you sure?"

"I tried to knock out Tamsin when she came in to tell us about Audrey." He said, jaw clenched. "Nothing. It didn't even cut off one of her senses."

"You...you can't even make them go deaf? Blind?" I asked, staring up at him. His ability was the central part to all of my escape plans. Without it, I had nothing. My hands trembled as my tongue slid across my lips and I wracked my brain for something. Then, I caught his eyes again and forced my hands to steady. "We just have to get your strength back up."

"And how, my dear, do you plan on doing that?" He demanded, head cocked to the side. "No access to blood. Any other brilliant ideas, Saoirse?"

He spoke my name like a poison.

"You're just tired. Once you've had time to rest, maybe your strength will come back to you."

"No." He cut in, "I don't think it works like that. We've never needed to sleep, so rest isn't going to do anything. I doubt you'd be able to use a gift, too- if you had one, of course."

I blinked. Surely, I had brought it up with him before now. "I _do_ have a gift."

His eyes narrowed. " _You_ have a gift."

"The level of shock in your tone is a tad insulting." I sighed, pushing myself up. "I don't use it a lot. Not nowadays at least. When I was with the rebellion that got me in this place, I used it a fair deal."

"Is it useful?"

A low, short laugh left my mouth. "All powers are useful if used in the right way. With Audrey gone…. I suppose it could be of use to us. Then again, I haven't tested it."

"Then try it." He gestured towards himself. "Test it."

Immediately, I shook my head, withdrawing with a step back. "I'm not using you as a guinea pig."

"Does your gift affect people?" He questioned. I gave a quick nod. "Then you need to try it on a person."

"You don't know what my gift is, Alec. Do you really want to be a test subject?"

"Are you going to hurt me?" He asked, watching my expression with care. "I have no reason to think you'll misuse your gifts, Saoirse."

I sucked in a long breath. "Alright, fine. I'll try it, but have to do one thing for me, too."

"I'll try."

"You try to get your gift back with me. I'll make you a test subject if you do the same with me."

He raised a brow, his lips curled into a tight smile. "Very well. Now, before I get myself in too deep- care to tell me what you gifts entail?"

"It's a type of mind control." I explained, and when he flinched, I hurried up my explanation. "I implant seeds into the mind... . I can't directly control someone, but I can alter feelings, memories, things like that to make them do what I want. Like… if I wanted someone to kill another, I could implant feelings of rage, memories of betrayal...anything to make them snap."

"I bet that came in handy with the rebel group you were with." He mused.

"Some of the time." I shrugged. "Our leader gave us all rolls. I did my job, used my gift, when it was needed. Now." I adjusted my stance, focusing my attention on the action I wanted him to perform. "You ready?"

He braced himself, but nodded. Seconds later, he turned instantly, and picked up a bit of stone that had fallen onto the ground, and hurled it at the wall behind him.

"Good." I grinned. "I can at least do a few things. Now it's your turn." I gestured to myself. "Hit me.

Eyes closed, he held his hands up as a thin, shimmering mist, mixed with black smoke started to creep towards me.

Holding myself steady, I waited for the vapor to consume me.


	13. Chapter 13: Training and Mirror Gifts

Chapter Thirteen:

"Pathetic," He growled, more to himself than anything as a wisp of anesthetic smoke swirled into the air from the tips of his fingers and vanished seconds after. "I can't keep it up long enough to do anything. It'll need to be a lot stronger than that to knock someone out. I doubt a human would fall to that."

Our training hadn't changed much since we'd started. I think it four days ago, but it could have been a hundred. Despite his scorn, I noticed subtle changes in the smoke that his gifts produced. It was a thick, steel colored substance somewhere between clouds and smoke. Days earlier, it had been pale and thin, almost like a fog.

"Well, try it on me," I suggested, looking up at him from my spot by the whole. For whatever reason, no one had come down in the last few days. I conjured up a thousand possibilities in my mind for what the reasons might be, but I never allowed myself to dwell on one for more than a moment.

He watched as the furls of the last attempt vanished completely before carefully maneuvering his body to sit across from me. "It's only been a few hours since I practiced on you."

"So, we think. Could have been a week. Who knows?

"It's not going to work." He said decidedly, scratching a small rut in the ground. "Why don't you try yours out for a bit."

I scoffed. "You'd rather become a puppet than try and make me go blind or deaf?"

"I would hope that you would have the common decency to not subject me to something that drastic."

Shrugging, I pushed myself up and focused on his face. In my life, I encountered a few vampires with a more direct talent for mind control. They could command someone to do their bidding and the response would be instant. For my power, I can't make someone act in a certain way. I just make them want to act in a certain way.

I fed sensations to his mind. A phantom itch. A pain in his right leg. An imperceptible amount of boredom and-.

"Fuck, this is ridiculous." He snarled, pushing himself up with a rapidness that caused him to yelp under his breath. "Are you going to do something or just stare at me?"

With a smirk, I met his eyes. "I got you to stand up, didn't I?"

"I did that on my own."

"Yeah, actually. I made you feel like your legs were cramping. Toss in a little boredom and a need to stretch and it was only a matter of time before you couldn't take it anymore." I grinned, immensely proud of such a small feat. "I wasn't about to make you do something dangerously. To control someone beyond just simple movements and vocalizations, it takes a vast concoction of emotions and sensations, as well as memories."

"You're dangerous." He said softly, but he wasn't scared. He was…. amused. I could see some new light in his eyes. "Do you want to keep going, or…?"

"Your turn," I declared, motioning to my body. He hadn't managed to get me completely under yet, but he'd promised before that he wouldn't keep me "unconscious" so to speak, for more than a couple of minutes. It could be mentally devastating, being alone in the dark. I felt I'd had plenty of experience with it by now, but he'd been insistent. "Why don't you try something new? We've been stuck on sight for a while now- we could try the sense of touch, or balance...temperature. Anything."

His eyes narrowed, tongue tracing across his bottom lip as he looked me over, thinking, choosing. "Your hands."

I held them out, palms up. He held his hands above mine, allowing the mist to swirl into them. Then, he pressed his index finger firmly into my skin.

"Do you feel anything?" He asked, meeting my gaze.

I frowned. "I feel… I feel the pressure. I know you're touching me, but I don't feel… the texture of your skin like I normally would?"

"I'll take it." He said with a grin, pulling back to allow my hands to drop. "But touch is about the least useful sense to take away. We'll need to do sight, sound, and scent if we're going to have a chance. I'd be happier if I could get them under entirely, but time is of the essence. Jane's probably dead by now, but… you did go to all that trouble to break the wall. Might as well finish the job."

"She might be alive, though." I murmured, taking a step back and leaning up against the wall, holding onto the stone to keep myself steady. "And if she is, I'll be sure to let her that you had such high hopes for her."

"I'm trying to be realistic here." He sighed, flopping down onto the floor at the opposite side of the room. "It would be nice if you could decide whether you want to be optimistic or pessimistic about this situation."

"I'm sure your sister was ripped to shreds as Audrey slowly mutilated her body," I conceded, "I have no reason to believe that she was left with a shred of sanity or treaty with a bit of mercy."

"Thank you."

"I'm here to lift your spirits. To spread hope and joy in this time of great despair."

Maybe, though, his sister would be alive. In the few moments that I met her, Jane gave me the impression that she wasn't someone who would go down without a fight.

"Uh-oh…"

I tensed instantly as Alec scrambled to his feet. Tamsin pressed her face to the bars of my now abandoned cell, grinning from ear to ear.

"Someone's been very naughty." She cooed, disappearing from the bars of my cell and reappearing in front of his. "I don't think Aro will approve of his prisoners intermingling with one another."

"What do you want?" He snapped. I stepped closer to him, my eyes lingering on her every movement. From behind Tamsin, another figure appeared.

Kiersten, at first glance, did not present herself to be someone who would be found in underground torture chambers. She kept her white-blonde hair tied into a braid at the side. I half-wondered if she'd watched Frozen when it came out four years ago, and choose to alter her appearance to better match that of the main character.

"Good girl, Tamsin," Kiersten cooed, her voice silken. Her fingers wove through Tamsin's, and she pressed a kiss firmly to the other girl's cheek. Tamsin glowed. "Audrey will be back in the morning."

"Back?" Tamsin squeaked. Taking advantage of the brief conversation, they'd conjured up between themselves, I crossed the room to stand next to him. "She's coming back already?"

Kiersten ran a delicate finger down Tamsin's cheek. I couldn't tell if the movement was genuine, or if the two of them had merely decided to put on a display of affection.

"They're mates?" I hissed, barely moving my lips.

"I don't know." He answered. "Maybe."

With them only coming into our lives to cause harm, it was hard to believe that they could form bonds with one another- or anyone for that matter.

"Kiersten." I began, allowing my body to move away from Alec, against the instincts that quelled in my stomach, screaming at me to stay right there. "I understand that you have your orders- but you really do not have to do this."

She turned, though just at the torso, so that most of her body faced towards Tamsin. "You have it all figured out, hmm?"

"I know you aren't like Audrey."

With a raised brow, her lips curled into a half-smile and a short laugh burst from her lips. "Oh? How do you know that?"

I lifted my hand just enough to indicate towards Tamsin. "Audrey wouldn't be able to so much as fake affection towards another person. Whether or not your actions with Tamsin were true or a put-on means that you're already a bit better than Audrey. You aren't evil, not like she is."

"My, what a naive view." She purred, her lips pulled into a wider grin. "There is no evil in the world, my darling. Not even with Audrey."

"You haven't spent enough time with her, then."

"Furthermore, my affection with Tamsin is true. My ability to have a mate does not negate my ability to kill you." I shivered. Slowly, I felt my plan backfire. "Besides, people hurt the people they love all of the time." She looked back, past me. "Right, Alec?"

Almost immediately, his eyes widened. My panic was inappropriately delayed. I hadn't understood what she'd done- not until his hands were around my neck.

With an amount of strength that he didn't have seconds ago, he hauled me to the ground, allowing my head to smash against the stone ground. His knee pressed into my ribs, cracking them under the pressure.

"You…" He snarled, his words like fire as his fingers tightened around my neck, the edges of his thumbs pressing into the sides. With any more force, I was certain that my trachea would start to crack.

"Al-Alec… Stop…" I whimpered, though my hands remained at my side, clenched into fists.

"Don't you remember what she did?" Kiersten purred, her voice miles away. "Alec? Don't you remember?"

His eyes flicked from mine to hers for a few moments. Then a snarl erupted, and his grip tightened. With a sickening crunch, my trachea shattered.

"Nothing." He breathed, his teeth grazing my nose as he snapped. "You stood there and did nothing."

I opened my mouth, but any attempts to speak were lost, transformed into nothing more than a pathetic squeak intermingled with scarcely distinguishable vowel sounds. "P-please...sorry…"

He grinned. "Sorry? Sorry doesn't help, my dear." He drew himself up, causing his knee to sink further into my stomach. "You didn't seem particularly concerned when I was fucking raped. But I suppose if they leave you alone, then who the fuck cares what they do to me. Hmm? Isn't that right Sarah."

"I…." My voice faded into the air, too weak to make much of a sound. Already, though, my body's healing capabilities had started to kick in, and I felt the bones knit themselves back together. "I tried…"

"I tried." He mocked, making his voice high and reedy. "You didn't try enough, did you? You didn't get them to stop."

A low yelp burst from my lips, but still, I refused to fight back. That would only make things worse.

"She didn't do anything," Kiersten grinned. My eyes drifted in her direction. Unlike Audrey, who liked to be right in the middle of her chaos, Tamsin and Kiersten appeared to be perfectly content to let the chaos they incited take its own course without much intervention. "She didn't try to get to you. If she broke down the wall days ago, she could have done it then. She could have helped."

"I'm sorry…" I murmured, my voice just a bit stronger. I could have thrown him off, but that would only incite his anger. "I s-should have...do-done...something…"

"Yes," He hummed, pressing his full weight onto me. Another rib cracked, causing my eyes to roll back into my head. "You should have. But you didn't. You decided to just bitch at Audrey. I thought you fucking understood by now that she won't help. You should have done something."

I knew. I knew that this wasn't really him speaking. It was just the effects of Kiersten's gifts. He could kill me before her powers wore off.

If he did...would my death cause him to come to his senses? Would he mind, when he realized that he'd killed me?

"I'll make it up to you," I promised, pushing myself up onto my elbows. The broken fragments of my ribs pressed against one another, bone scraping against bone. "I'll get you to Bosnia… I'll get you back to Jane."

"Empty words." He snarled, but something had changed in his eyes. Through the darkness that had settled there, I saw a small glimmer of light. "As always."

I shook my head. "No, it's not." With a wince, I gestured to the broken wall. "I got us this far, right? Look, I might not be the best person for the job, but I told you I would help you get to your sister, and I will. I don't care what happens. You can kill me after that if you want to. You can hate me. I don't care, but I do know that you can't make it to Bosnia on your own. I wouldn't be able to either."

His face twisted, eyes darting back and forth from me, and Kiersten, and even to Tamsin occasionally. "Bosnia?" He murmured, finally turning his attention back to me. "Jane?"

"Don't-" Kiersten hissed, her arm stretched out as though she could physically grab onto her power and shove it back at him.

"I promise." The grip he had on my body lessened, and he pulled his weight off me, allowing me a chance to breathe properly. By trachea had managed to knit itself back together, with my ribs nearly healed.

He blinked rapidly, and after a few seconds, his eyes had started to clear up. "Sao-Saoirse?" Brow knitted together, his eyes swept over my body. "What the hell…?"

"Don't worry about it." I assured, giving a dismissive wave. There would be a time to talk him almost killing me in the middle of a power-induced rage. This was not that time. "Just get your knee off my stomach."

"Bitch," Kiersten growled.

"Aww," I cooed, pushing myself up. "I'm sorry. Disappointed? I might be, too. Then again, I haven't known my gifts to outright fail."

I knew it was thoughtless to push my luck. For all I knew, there could have merely been a brief fluke in her powers- or worse, she had retracted them just to get me to brag and gloat about my own. Alec could very well go back into the state he'd been in moments ago, and I would be on the ground.

"Saoirse." He warned. "Careful. You don't want to mess with her."

"Good boy." She hummed, twisting a lock of hair around her fingers. "I see those boys put you right in their place, didn't they?"

Before he could protest, she strode forward and drew a finger down his face, nails scratching at his skin.

"Don't-" I hissed, but too late. His eyes widened and before another syllable could leave my mouth, his hand locked around her wrist and he had her arm twisted around.

From his hands, a thick smoke filled the air, surrounded Kiersten, wafting around her form as though his gift had taken on a mind of its own.

Within seconds, she had collapsed, and the smoke moved on to take another victim.

Tamsin fell to the ground, and he turned to me.

"Bosnia?" He questioned, barely sparing either of them a glance. I nodded, a twitching smile forming.

"Bosnia."


	14. Chapter 14: Freedom

Seconds later, the smoke dissipated into the air. On the ground, Kiersten twitched. Alec lurched forward before the effects of his gift could wear off completely, and before his brain could catch up with his body and force him to overthink the situation. He grabs a silver key off of her jeans, snatching it through the belt loop. Normally, we'd be able to break down the door, but there is no need to make more unnecessary noise.

Within seconds, the door swung open. Exhilaration pulsated through my body. This was nothing like when I'd broken down the wall. Before me, though an empty, damp corridor, marked with but a few gaslights was freedom.

"Hurry." Alec hissed. Tamsin started to come around. Her fingers curled and twisted, grasping for something unreachable. Perhaps, something that didn't exist at all.

We darted through the door. He snatched the key from the lock and allowed the bars to swing closed again. It wouldn't deter them for long, but if metal bars had been able to keep us in place for months, then they'd be slowed down, at least for a few moments.

Alec leads the way, and I follow suit. My chest rising and falls heavily. I know I need to breathe so hard, but it's a human habit that I couldn't shake, especially with adrenaline coursing through my veins. At the end of the corridor, we reach a dead end. I twist around, looking back, side to side, for some other option.

"Up." He instructed, gesturing towards the ceiling. "We're going to go through there. It'll lead to the feeding chambers."

My stomach twists. "We'll end up right in the middle of the guard."

"Not likely. They only feed twice a month, and only on Fridays. We have a small chance that we'll come up to an empty room…." His eyes trail down the corridor. A low sound fills the air. Scraping. Metal on stone. "Go."

He motioned for me to go up ahead of him. Bits of metal jutted out from the wall, remnants of an old sewer system that the castle had either installed or been built around. I grip the metal, hoisting myself up towards a manhole cover. Bits of gold and yellow filter through the tiny finger holes. Daytime.

Alec, right behind me, I cautiously lift off the cover, pushing it to the side. Relief runs through me. The chamber is empty.

Abandoned. The scent of blood lingers for weeks. The smell isn't detectable to a human, but for a vampire, it's enough to unsettle someone who hasn't fed in months.

But, for a place that had been used for routine feedings for thousands of years, it's oddly pristine.

I lifted myself through the hole and sit back on the marble floor.

"You said….you said this was used for feeding, right?" I asked, my voice soft. I scan the room and stand up. Alec comes moves to stand behind me.

"This is… odd." He admitted, looking around the room. It smells like a cleaner, as though someone had come in with bleach and formaldehyde and scrubbed every bit of blood from it. "Aro's always kept the castle in good condition, but with this room, he never had it cleaned beyond disposing of bodies and having the blood cleaned up. It always smelled like old, rotting blood."

"Lovely," I grimaced, scanning for the exit. "Well, we don't have time to dwell on Aro's thought process. Do you know how to get out of here."

With his hand, he gestured towards a set of carved, double doors. "Heidi brings humans through there when we feed. There's just a small hallway beyond the door and then it opens up on the street.

I furrow my brow. "How have more humans not found their way into the castle? I mean, if it's just on the street."

Shaking his head, he led the way to the doors and pushed the right one open for me.

Beyond it, the hallway was lit brightly, I assumed for the benefit of the humans that walked it to their deaths. Aro didn't need one of their meals to get lost because they weren't able to follow the others.

A smaller, wooden door, barely tall enough for a man of average height to pass through sat at the end of the hall. With quick fingers, Alec worked to unlock the many chains and locks that held the door firmly in its frame.

When it finally flung open, a burst of wind and sunlight brushed against my face.

It had to be close to noon. Fortunately, we had stepped into an abandoned alleyway. When the door closed behind us, I saw why no one just wandered into the castle at random times. The brick of the wall hid the door. I imagined that we'd actually come from underneath the jewelry shop that flanked the alley. With thousands of years of to add and redesign, it was no surprise that the castle had several levels that lay beneath the streets of Volterra.

"We need to figure something out," He murmured, looking up and down the alleyway. Ahead, it opened into the main streets. Given the time of day, I wasn't surprised at all to see the streets hustling with thousands of humans. Their scent wafted in the air, swirling about...dancing around me like someone untouchable. "We'll get out of the city as quickly as we can. We'll stop in Ravenna to hunt. It should be night time when we get there."

"Perhaps. If it's still broad daylight, I still play to feed." I pressed my back against the brick, venom pooling in my mouth as a couple passed close to the mouth of the alley. "I don't know how you aren't…"

He ran a hand through his hair. "If we feed here, they'll be on us before we can blink. I don't like the idea of going through the town, but… I don't know if we have much of a choice."

"Backstreets?" I suggested, motioning to the other end of the alley, which led to more alleyways, twisting and turning in nearly a thousand directions. Humans would get lost too easily in a place like that. Compared to the hustling, bustling town square, the back streets were barren. A few people, residents, I suspected, came and went down the street that connected perpendicularly with the one we'd come out at, but other than them, no one…

"It'll take longer to get out of Volterra, but I think it's worth the risk." He answered, tugging down the scraps of clothes they'd left him with.

No wonder he wanted to go through the backstreets.

"Here," I began, tugging my shirt over my head, leaving me in a basic tank-stop. Before Audrey had gotten it torn, it was just a simple, oversized T-shirt. It had a ton of holes in it now, but it came down to my knees. "It should work, just for a little while, right? I know you don't want to wear my clothes, but…"

"What about you? You don't have much on without it." He murmured, his eyes moving to my own clothes. They weren't much, but everything that needed to be was covered.

I shook my head and pressed the shirt into his hands. "I'm fine. It's not that feminine. It won't be that bad to wear for just a while, right?"

Shaking his head, he pulled the shirt over his head. It reached a few inches below his hips, appropriately covering everything that needed to be concealed.

"When we get to Ravenna, we can break into a shop after hours- after we feed," I suggested. He gave a quick nod, smoothing the fabric of the shirt down. I doubted that either of us would be able to stop from snatching the first human we came across when we got out of Volterra, but for now, I was content to stick with the plan that we'd come up with moments ago.

"Yeah," He replied, swallowing venom that had pooled in his mouth. He had that same, desperate look that I'm sure I'd worn from the second we'd come out to the streets. "We've stood around for too long. We should get going."

We did. He led the way through the labyrinth of streets, frequently changing directions so that it took us longer to get out of the city, but it helps to throw off anyone who might have gotten a glimpse of us We're fast, still. Faster than any other creature on earth, but without feeding for months, my own body feels slow, like I'm dragging a dead weight.

Nevertheless, we're out of Volterra within fifteen minutes. He found a path leading right into the woods surrounding the city, and we start north towards Ravenna.

"Alec…" I began, reaching to grab his wrist. "I don't know if I can wait. How can you stand it?"

Scoffing, he snatched his hand out of my grasp. "You're going to wait. They can already follow our scents- not to mention the connection Demetri's web has to everyone. Do you really want to add a trail of blood for them to follow to catch up with us?*

My hand dropped to the side. "I understand. Still, I don't… we need to hurry up."

Taking the lead now, I followed my instincts towards Ravenna. Even for a place that I'd never been before, I felt as though I had a general idea of which direction to go. Most of us did, though. All vampires had heightened senses, and direction technically was a scent. I wasn't a shock that we could navigate significantly better than any human.

Sunset had fallen when we'd arrived at the edge of the city. A sprawling sight before my eyes, Ravenna had stunning architecture and gorgeous mosaics.

"It'll be dark, soon." He murmured, keeping close to the side of the buildings. The streets weren't as congested as Volterra's main roads had been, but humans still roamed about them. Tourists doing late night shopping or headed to dinner ambled back and forth, their senses of direction befuddled, warped. Locals, too, frequented the shops, though they clearly had more knowledge of how to maintain themselves.

We didn't stay long enough to pay much attention to anything.

Once the sun went down, the hunt was on.

Alec snatched a businessman coming out of an office, a cellphone pressed to his ear. Always a mistake.

He had him dried and dead within seconds, but even the blood from a full-grown human couldn't change his eyes more than a fraction of a shade.

My prey was another man. I didn't bother with making notes of his description. He could have been one of the British Royal family and I wouldn't have been any wiser. When I came across him, he wasn't anyone of importance.

He was food. I wanted more when he ran dry, but Alec restrained me. Our hunts had to be careful, cautious. We couldn't just murder someone whenever we felt like it.

Aro had to have been informed of our escape by now. I wouldn't be surprised if we were recaptured by the end of the day.

Only an hour or so later, when the shops closed, Alec picked the lock on one clothing store, and swiftly stole a pair of jeans and a dark blue button-down shirt for himself, and a pair of jeans and a green hoodie for myself.

Blood certainly helped me feel better, but clothes, too, made an immense difference.

We left Ravenna behind, the victims of our hunt disposed of in dumpsters.

"We'll get to Bosnia before sunrise, at this rate." I grinned. We'd slowed our pace. Always faster than a human. Even at a walk, we covered more ground than a human could in a car going sixty miles an hour.

"Yeah," He answered, playing with the buttons of his shirt. "I just… I don't know. I don't know if I can handle it… if s-she isn't...if something happened to her."

"Don't think about that," I commanded. We had come to a stop in a forest somewhere in Slovenia (Slovakia?), mere hours outside of Bosnia. We had little to go on as to Jane's exact location, but Alec was her twin. He could find her with his eyes closed, just as I was certain that I'd be able to find him.

Most vampire's tended to have, at the very least, a faint ability to find those they were close to, even if the search was intercontinental.

"What if it's true, though?" He breathed, jaw tight, eyes fixated on a small spot on the ground.

I shook my head. I didn't want to think of what the chances that we'd find her alive would be. We'd come this far. It would be an insult to Jane, and to ourselves, to just give up.

We pressed on. Eventually, we crossed into Bosnia. Technically, I knew the name to be Bosnia and Herzegovina, but we'd referred to it so often as simply 'Bosnia,' that to refer to the place by its full name.

"Do you know where to head, now?" I inquired, a few moments after we'd entered the country. Compared to other places, the borders between the two countries appeared relatively peaceful.

"South. Towards Mostar." He answered after at least a minute of silence. "I don't know why. I just keep picturing it in my mind."

"I'm sure you're right." I took a moment to collect myself, glancing around at my surroundings. I'd never found the need to travel to Bosnia until now, but somehow, the image of a city I'd never gone to pop up in my head. "You guys have a connection of some sort, don't you?"

"I guess." He answered, more or less guiding our journey south towards Mostar. "I mean- I can't hear her thoughts, but we've always known when the other is hurt. Like another type of sense."

"Do you think she's hurt?" I asked. Perhaps I'd been foolish to suggest that she might be alright. After all, what did I know? I knew Audrey wasn't the type of person to leave any of her victims alive.

I followed his motions for half an hour, mindlessly moving through forests until a sharp screech filled the night.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuckno fuckfuckfuck…" He panted. My eyes landed on the subject of his parents.

I couldn't recall what she'd looked like before, when Audrey had oh-so-kindly allowed her to come and visit months ago, but the body we'd come upon was barely recognizable as a person, let alone someone we were supposed to know.

Still, Alec would have been able to identify a pile of ashes as his sister.

He dropped to his knees next to her mangled form, hands shaking as he searched for a place to touch that wouldn't cause any more damage. From a distance, I could see her chest rise and fall, breaths coming out in sharp, trembling gasps.


	15. Chapter 15: Jasper and Alice

Chapter 15:

Finally, his fingers found their way to her face, and to my surprise, she nuzzled her cheek against his open palm.

"Jane…?" He breathed out, but like me, I don't think he expected her to give an answer. Something had caused the corners of her mouth to tear at the edge, giving her a smile akin to that of the Cheshire Cat. A knife?

Or Screams? I scanned the area, searching desperately through the trees for a sign of Audrey. She wouldn't have left without knowing if her victim had survived or not? Surely, she'd be back to be sure, to finish the job.

Would Aro mind? Would he care that Audrey had slaughtered one of his best?

I tried to give them enough room. Surely, a vampire who had just been mauled to near death by another, wouldn't want a total stranger leaning over her body. Still, curiosity did get the best of me.

Her arms had been torn open, the skin ripped and shredded so that more bone was visible than any skin. Had Audrey bitten her? Torn her skin off with her teeth? Had something else caused that kind of damage?

She opened her mouth to say something, but the second she did, a low groan escaped her. Alec's fingers moved into her blonde hair.

"Don't speak. Don't try to speak." He murmured, his body shaking. "I'm right here. I promise. I'm not going anywhere."

"We have to do something, though." I sighed, keeping my voice low. "We can stay here. She needs help."

Through the trees, I noticed a silhouette, but the scent that came with it didn't match that of Audrey's. My shoulders tensed, I moved passed the twins, watching the figure as it drew ever closer.

Two people, I noted as they came into my vision. A young man with rich, curly hair the color of honey, and a woman with inky black hair, cut short in an artistic fashion.

"Dammit," Alec whispered under his breath. "Saoirse, don't talk to them."

"I think I can talk to whoever I want to," I quipped, taking a step towards the treeline. Maybe I should have listened to his instructions, for the second the other pair caught our scents, their expressions twisted with disdain.

" "Alec," The blonde began, holding himself in a stiff sort of position, hands clasped behind his back. His stance conjured up the image of someone who had been in the military. I kept my place between the pairs. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking a fucking vacation, _Jasper_." He snapped, moving to stand in front of Jane. "I don't see why what I'm doing in Bosnia is any of your concern."

"Calm down," The woman groaned, pressing her fingers to her temples. "He's was only asking. Does Aro have yet another problem with our family?"

"If that were the case, he'd have sent Demetri to personally track you down." He hissed. "I couldn't say what goes through Aro's mind nowadays."

"He hasn't exactly been making rational decisions," I added. "I'm sure, if we had time, we'd be able to tell you more, but…" I made a kind of vague gesture towards Jane's mangled form. The black-haired woman gave a low gasp.

"How...H-how…?" She breathed out, her eyes flickering from Alec's to mine. "She couldn't have defended herself?"

Alec's cocked his head to the side, and his lips twisted at the corners. "Does it matter? Neither my sister or I have any problems with your family at the moment, so if you'll just leave us be, that would be incredible."

The blonde man took a step forward. For a moment, I thought was heading towards Alec, but he turned to me.

"We don't have time for proper introductions, but given that both of you look like Hell, I expect you've been with him through whatever's gone on." He began, keeping a fair distance between us.

Laughter lingered on the edge of my lips. If only he knew. "You could say that. It's been a Hell of a…" I trailed off for a second, "Do you know what month it is?"

His brow furrowed. "It's November, of course."

"Right. It's been a hell of an eight months." I tucked a lock of hair behind my ears. "Sorry- I didn't catch your names…? "

"It doesn't matter," Alec hissed, fingers curling around my wrist. "We're getting Jane and we're getting out of here before she comes back. You can make friends later."

"Jasper Whitlock, miss." the blonde said, his words faintly tinted with a honey-sweet southern drawl.

"And I'm Alice," The tiny, black-haired girl declared, a note of wariness lingering in her tone. "Alice Cullen."

Realization hit me. So _that_ was why Alec was so inclined to keep me from interacting with them.

"My name's Saoirse," I introduced, keeping my tone neutral amidst Alec's not-so-subtle protests and snarls.

"You said that you needed to leave before 'she' comes back…?" Jasper questioned, his voice low. "Who did you mean?"

I bit the corner of my mouth. "Her name is Audrey. She's…"

"Satan." Alec supplied.

"Psychotic." I offered."She's impossibly vicious. Aro had a bit of a beef both of us and she's been one of our….main sources of company for a while now."

"And she's the one who did that to Jane?" Alice questioned. She made a move to get closer, but a hiss ripped through Alec's clenched teeth.

"Yes, we suspect so." I answered, moving my stance so that I stood between everyone. "Jane was sent here on a mission. I can't remember what for but… a few weeks ago, we learned that Audrey had been sent out of execute her."

"At least she wasn't successful." Alice murmured, her eyes trailing to Jane again. When they reached her arms, though, she made a face and her eyes snapped back to mine.

"She's like a wild animal." Alec sighed. I understood his frustration. To someone who had never met her before, it was hard to convey the sheer monstrosity that was Audrey. "She comes back to play with her prey before she really kills it."

Alice bit on the inside of her cheek. "You won't make it very far in her condition."

"I'll manage it."

"No, you won't," Jasper said, matter-of-factly. "Listen, I don't know what Aro's doing nowadays, but something's prevented her body's natural healing capabilities from kicking in. If Audrey's been gone for more than an hour, everything should have repaired itself."

My brow furrowed in thought, I studied her form. Whereas I'd cringed away before, I stared at the wounds covering her body. An odd, silvery substance had settled in the wounds on her arms, and one massive gash on her stomach.

"Venom," Alec announced before my brain could so much as come up with a list as to what it could be. "The same that Audrey used on us to keep us from healing properly."

For the first time, he allowed Jasper to get within arm's length of Jane without protest.

"Vampire venom doesn't work like that," He murmured, more to himself. He knelt opposite of Alec while I stood back to give them space. "It leaves scars but… it doesn't slow down the healing process. If anything, it accelerates it."

"That's because this isn't vampire venom," Alec reached around the grass and promptly found a small, bright green leaf. He allowed the tip of it to brush against some venom, and it instantly shriveled up and died, turning,g into nothing but fragments that a bit of wind tore out of his grasp. "Children of the Moon. "werewolf" venom."

"I didn't know…." Jasper licked his lips, his voice low and breathy now. "I don't know anything about that kind of venom, but I think it would be wise for the three of you to come with us. We'll call Carlisle and have him take a flight over."

Alec looked up as Jasper rose to his feet, eyes narrowed. "Why. Why do you want to help?"

"The blonde turned for a moment but turned back with a short laugh but grim expression.

"My family and I aren't in the business of holding decade like grudges. It makes for a rather...heavy way to live."

"And we know, in the end…. You were all just doing as you were told. As you thought was right." Alice chimed in, her voice a sweet birdsong in comparison to the haughty screech of Audrey. "We're just here visiting, but we have a small house we've rented for the month. It's just a few miles away."

I watched as his eyes flicked back and forth between both of them. Jane twitched and gave a low groan, her fingers curling on the ground.

"Alright." He said, finally. "Alright."

"Do you want me to carry her?" Jasper asked, stretching his hands out in offering.

Alec snorted. "I don't want any of this, but I don't suppose I have much of a choice, do I?"

Jasper merely shrugged and knelt down, carefully gathering the girl in his arms. With his fairly impressive height, she appeared remarkably small and sad- the remnants of a broken doll that someone had left out in the woods.

He carried Jane and led the way through the woods while Alice walked next to me. Other than a turn or two, the path we took was fairly direct. Within ten minutes, we came to a house.

I felt my stomach turn. I hadn't been used to the comfort of a home in a long time. It had been hard enough to readjust to the sunlight, but this house- or villa, as it would be properly named, was bright and open, with large glass windows and a somewhat Mediterranean feel to it.

Alice strode past Jasper, and swiftly unlocked the front door, motioning us inside.

"You came to Bosnia for vacation," Alec observed as he begrudgingly stepped into the front room behind him. "Is this not extravagant for a vacation?"

Without a word, he lay Jane on a rich, dark leather sofa across from an open window.

"We'll be here for a while." He answered. Jane gave a small whimper, her eyes screwed up tight. If she had any knowledge of what had happened or where she was, she hadn't made any protests. "Might as well stay somewhere comfortable."

"Do you want me to go ahead and call Carlisle?" Alice inquired, leaning up against a granite-topped bar that separated the kitchen from the sitting room. Alec and I stood near the door, watching...

Waiting.

"I think so." He answered, his brow furrowed in concentration, "Tell him what's going on, but… don't let him tell Bella or Edward anything."

"Good idea," She conceded, her lips pressed into a tense smile. Retrieving a sleek cell phone from the inside of her jacket, she swiftly dialed a number and stepped into an adjacent hallway.

"What happened to not holding grudges?" Alec asked, hesitantly moving to sit with Jane, his fingers brushing across the back of her hand. Jasper rose to his feet and took a half-step backward.

"Bella hasn't been able to let go as easily as the rest of us," He explained, giving a small, tight smile. "Edward, too, but they'll come around, eventually."

He nodded, his gaze focused on his sister's face. Her expression alternated between a grimace, to some odd level of resigned peace.

"Carlisle has an operation in the morning," Alice announced, setting her phone on the coffee table. "But he will be on a flight by ten in the morning. With the time difference, he should be here sometime early morning, the day after tomorrow."

Alec swallowed tightly. "What are we supposed to do until then?"

"You could start by telling us more about Audrey," Alice said simply, lacing her fingers through Jasper's. From the way that they interacted with each other, one knew them to be mates in an instant. "Why have we never heard about her before?"

"She has an odd relationship with the guard- with the coven as a whole." He answered. All of the time that he spoke, he didn't once take his eyes off of his twin. "Aro found her sometime in the 80s, but she's been around since the 1700s."

"Why Jane just didn't defend herself?" she asked.

"Audrey has a power," I answered, playing with the ends of my frayed shirt. "It's almost like a mirror. She reflects your own power back at you."

Alice gave a short nod, "She would just end up attacking herself if she attempted to use her gift."

"We need to let Bella know.." Jasper sighed, "She's the only one we know who would be able to block that kind of power."

"Hopefully," Alec answered, leaned back tentatively. The couch was imperceptibly more comfortable than the stone we'd been on for months, at the moment, anything that touches us was unpleasant. "But we don't need the help. We can handle it."

"Speak for yourself," I scoffed. "I'm not putting up with any of them again. If we come across Audrey, I want to have some chance."

Alec's jaw tightened. "Who's to say that we'll stand a chance, even if we have a battalion? Aro finds new vampires to add to his guard every day. Have you wondered why they haven't bothered you for a while? He found a psychic of his own. He found those who wanted power...who wanted respect. Audrey isn't the only person you've yet to meet."

"Tamsin, for example." I said, "She can make herself look like anyone. And Kiersten. She… she…"

"She makes you attack the first person you see." Alec finished, meeting my eyes for a moment. "Even if that person is your closest friend, or a mate...or a child. It makes you feel as though the other has committed some kind of...personal offense- an offense worthy of death."

"You and Jane have always been Aro's favorites. Why'd he allow them to attack you?" Jasper asked, moving to shut a curtain.

"He condoned it," Alec replied. "We pissed him off. Saoirse tried to infiltrate the castle, and I-"

"You?" Alice prompted.

"It doesn't matter. I did something he didn't like." He pushed himself up, eliciting a groan from Jane. "I think I might rest for a bit."

I cocked my head, watching as he moved towards the doorway. "Do you want me to come with you?"

We'd been together for almost a year, albeit with a wall between us for the most of the time. To be apart even in rooms separated by nothing but a hallway, made me impossibly uncomfortable.

"No. No, I just want to rest for a while." He murmured, disappearing into a hallway. Moments later, the door to one of the rooms clicked shut with a firm snap and locked.

"How do you know each other?" Alice asked, stepping away from the wall to sit across from me. Jasper stood a couple of feet away. I swallowed. In the right kind of light, when he was close enough, I saw that his arms were covered in the crisscrossing crescent moon scars that only the bite of another vampire could cause.

"We w-"

But I couldn't answer. My words were drowned out, ripped into nothingness by an anguished scream.


	16. Chapter 16: Reflections

Chapter Sixteen: Reflections

I moved down the corridor, to the room that he had disappeared into moments ago. Already, images swirled through my mind, possibilities of what could have happened in the short span of time that we were apart from one another. Each of them, more ghastly then the last, made my stilled heart tremor. An odd pain settled there- one that I'd never quite be able to describe.

An ache, perhaps? A small, throbbing sensation that, while near to nothing in my chest, radiated throughout the whole of my body.

I braced myself at the door, but pushed it open with no hesitation.

Audrey wasn't there.

"Alec?" I called, taking care to keep my voice low. I stepped further inside. A full-sized bed had been positioned in the center of the primary wall. It sat adjacent to a wall made nearly entirely of windows.

"Get the _fuck_ away from me, Saoirse." He hissed from the bathroom. "Don't you fucking act all sweet and innocent. Don't you dare."

The throbbing grew stronger. Brow furrowed, I leaned my forehead against the closed door.

"I've never claimed to be innocent," I said. "But I don't know what you mean. Why did you scream?"

"You didn't think to tell me?" He demanded.

"Tell you what?"

Before I realized what'd happened,he ripped the door open with such aggression that the door handle nearly got torn off.

He motioned to himself with a jerk, jaw clenched and chest heaving. "You didn't feel like telling me how _fucked_ up my face is?"

I looked him over, trying to find some flaw. His face was scarred, of course, but how could I consider that a flaw when mine was certainly as bad as his?

"It's not as bad as it seems, I promise." I breathed, taking a step closer, but he instantly moved backward. "It's just a shock because you haven't seen yourself for a long time."

"It's not just my face." His shoulders quivered as he spoke. For a moment, he turned towards the mirror, eyes narrowed as he scrutinized himself. "It's everything."

"Well you and I have nearly the same injuries… at least, of a certain kind." I finished, dumbly. I'd be an idiot to mention the other type of horror Audrey had committed against only him. "You never said anything about my face. I'm sure it's scarred, too, isn't it."

"I hadn't noticed," He answered, but he didn't look to see, either. He tore his eyes away from the mirror after another few minutes. "You still should have told me. You should have let me prepare. God, I knew there had to be _something_ but I never thought it would be… "

He let out a strangle snarl and reeled back. With a distinct shatter, the mirror fell from its frame, crushed into a thousand pieces.

"I can still feel it, you know?" He began, his voice rapid and breathy, "I don't mean I still feel emotionally upset by it, no. I mean I can feel it still, standing here, talking with you. It never went away. Never stopped. The pain was enough. How the fuck am I supposed to deal with looking at myself when it only serves as a reminder for what she did?"

"I know," I murmured, playing with a lock of hair. I knew I couldn't touch him, but I needed something to do with my hands. Energy tore at my fingertips, desperate for release. "I'm not going to pretend to fully understand everything you've gone through. I can imagine it. I can sympathize, but… I think it would be selfish to say I understand. But I'm your friend. We got out of there together."

He sank down onto the edge of the bathtub, resting his head in open hands. "I can't handle this. I can't. Jane might not survive so what was the point in getting out? Audrey'll just hunt us down. Demetri probably already knows where we are."

Tentatively, I stepped into the room, kneeling next to him. "We're not letting her win. We aren't letting any of them win."

He gave me a sideways glance. "I don't know if I can believe in that."

"Believe in it, please?" I implored, gingerly resting a hand on his knee. He gave a small, surprised jerking motion, but didn't cringe away. "It might be the only thing we have right now. If we can nullify Audrey's gifts, then won't we have a chance?"

"Maybe." He answered, straightening up. "Even without her powers, though, she's an incredible fighter. I told you that before."

"Then we'll learn to fight." I shrugged. I wasn't exactly trained by the finest, but I wasn't horrible, either.

Alec rose, pushing my hand off of him. "You forget one vital factor- what if Cullen refuses to help us? She hasn't exactly gotten over the incident from a couple of years ago. She and Jane have always been at odds with one another, and she and I don't exactly have an amicable relationship."

"Both of you have a common enemy now, don't you?" I perched on edge of the toilet, proving him with a bit more space as he paced back and forth. "You can find common ground for long enough to handle Aro- then you can all go back to hating each other."

"We'll see." He murmured. Stooping, he began to gather up the shards from the mirror. "What about you?"

My forehead creased. "What do you mean?"

"What are you going to do after all of this is done with?"

I cocked my head, biting at the inside of my cheek. "I haven't thought about it. I guess I'd just go on my way? Do some traveling? I haven't been to a lot of places."

He smirked, and even if he did tease, it made my heart relax. At least he seemed to be in a fairly better state of mind, compared to earlier. "You were a shit nomad. Aren't you supposed to move around all of the time?"

"I did," I answered, crossing my arms over my chest. "I just stuck to a somewhat small region. I usually traveled around western Europe. Never to Italy, of course. I stayed in Germany for a couple of years and did some schooling there. I played the part of a fourteen year old girl rather well."

His lips curled up, and he gave a hesitant smile. Reluctant as it was, the fact that it was there at all made me feel as though someone had lit a light on inside of me.

"You've made quite the adventure out of your life, haven't you?" He asked. I laughed.

"I'm not sure if ambling from place to place and generally being an ass to the locals is an "adventure." but I'll take it."

I took a gradual step to him, nearly closer to him, practically closing the space between us entirely. "I know they hurt you. How could I not? I was right there. But one day the pain will go away. Every kind of it."

He pressed his lips into a tight line. "I'll believe it when it happens."

"Good." I beamed, leaning up against the wall for another second before kneeling on the ground with him, carefully working to pick up the shards from the mirror. I caught a bit of my reflection in one of the larger pieces.

I'd been right about the word Audrey carved into my forehead. Remnants of the letters S-L-U-T remained there, fainter and a bit smoother, only standing out from the rest of my skin by a few shades.

Humans wouldn't be able to detect them at all, but for a vampire, they'd be the first thing they lay eyes on.

"You would think she would have found a more accurate word." I mused. "Something better suited for a virgin."

"She thinks that every pretty girl in the world keeps their legs open," He replied, taking the shard out of my hand before I could stare at it too long.

"You think I'm pretty?" I asked, brow scrunched up. He rolled his eyes.

"All vampires are meant to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye, Saoirse." He grinned, dumping the pieces into a waste bin by the toilet. "But yes, aside from those factors, I do think you're pretty."

I played with a bit of my hair, internally relieved that Audrey had allowed me to keep one of few parts I favored about my appearance. "Thank you. That's really kind of you to say. And, for the record, I think you look perfectly fine."

"'Fine'" He repeated, "As in 'decent' 'not terrible.'"

"No," I protested, before he could continue on with his list of adjectives. "Fine as in 'handsome' as in 'pretty' as in 'attractive'"

He gave me an odd sort of sideways glance. "Still, I think I'll be avoiding mirrors for a while now. At least… until I can handle everything."

"I understand," I replied, "Do you want me to take down any other mirrors in the house? Just in case?"

.

"No." He answered, before the question had so much as left my mouth. "That'll just raise questions and I'm not about to go over it again. Especially not with any of the Cullens."

I gave a quick nod, but said nothing else of the subject. Without a word, he finished up with the last of the mirror and headed out of the door.

"Do you want me to give you some space?" I asked, this time choosing to stay in the same spot, lingering in the doorway between the bedroom and bathroom.

He turned around, and appeared to consider the offer for a second before nodding. "I'll be out after a while. I just need some time."

"Of course," I smiled. If he needed space, who was I to force myself upon him? If he needed someone there...who was I to deny him that, either? I could be anything that he needed me to be, for as long as that was. "I'll let them know that you're alright. You know where to find me if you need anything."

"Thanks." That was the last word I heard for him for the rest of the day.

When I came back into the living room, Alice and Jasper tore away from one another, their heads previously bowed in serious, quiet conversation.

"Is everything alright?" Alice asked, her voice sweet with concern, but I couldn't tell if it was genuine worry.

"Yeah," I answered, slipping around to the couch that Jane lay on. As far as I could tell, no one had touched her. "It's fine, don't worry."

"I heard something break," Jasper added, glancing up from a document of some sort.

"It was a mirror," I said, barely glancing over at him. If Alec needed some time to himself, I didn't want Jane to wake up around people that considered her an enemy. "He….he went through a lot more than I did. Audrey claimed to have nothing personal against him, but she...tended to get extreme when it came to him."

"I suppose even Aro's finest aren't worth more than his power," Jasper murmured. He pushed the document across the table in my direction. At first glance, I read that it was a list of names.

"That's everyone that came to stand with us against the Volturi a few years ago," He explained, noting my befuddled expression. "I think if we have a chance to create an uprising, there are dozens who will come to stand with us. If we have Jane and Alec on our side, along with Bella, we could stand a chance against Aro."

"I don't know," I answered, scanning over the list again, committing the names to memory. None of them stood out to me. Then again, I never tended to interact with a lot of people. "I'm not going to be the one to watch dozens of us fall."

"I'm not suggesting that we go storm the castle." He explained, his lips curled into a small, reassuring smile. "I just think its something to consider."

"Storming the castle wouldn't be very wise, true," I agreed. I remember the moment they'd caught me. The terror that bubbled up in my mouth then still lingered to this day. I'd been that cell for a week before I'd realized there was someone next to me. After that, it took me at least three days to speak to him. "Aro has too much of an upper hand in his own territory. We'll want to draw out the guard. Take them out little by little-"

"No," Alec leaned against the doorway, a peculiarly tired look about him, as though thousands of years with no sleep had finally caught up with him. "There's a small chance that some of them won't side with Aro."

He caught my eyes for a second, before continuing. "When we were imprisoned, Corin came down to speak with us. She told us that Chelsea had been injured. The bonds she created between Aro and the guard have started to weaken. The guard have taken note of Aro's irrational tendencies."

"But not everyone," I added, "Those like Audrey and Tamsin...Kiersten never had to be bonded with him. They'll stay loyal until they no longer have any use for what Aro can offer them"

His eyes lit up. "If the majority of the guard were to abandon him… that would dwindle his power a great deal, and then he would have nothing to offer those who were loyal by choice."

"Yes, but it's not as though Chelsea had some kind of mind control over everyone," Jasper said, retrieving the list from the table and storing it away into a filing cabinet. "We can't just assume they'd leave because Chelsea's power has gotten weak. It would be a death sentence to approach one of the guard right now."

"Perhaps," He agreed, "The circumstances would have to be in our favor, but if we could figure out a way to maintain the upper hand, then it might be something to consider."

Jasper's brow knitted together as he came back to settle next to Alice, his arms draped easily around her shoulder. "Bella could protect you and Jane from a mental attack, and you would be able to use your gifts things got out of control."

"We just have to hope that she's gotten over her grudge enough to actually help," He pointed out, his lips curled into a kind of sardonic grin.

"She will," Alice said, leaning her head against Jasper's shoulder, "Bella trusts us. She knows we wouldn't ask her to help if we thought you two had ulterior motives."

"We'll see." Alec said, moving to sit next to his sister. Without hesitation, his hand slipped into hers. "Has she woken up at all?"

"No," Jasper began, "I think it's better that she remains "unconscious." so to speak until Carlisle gets here."

Alec nodded, his eyes ever lingering on Jane's face, watching for any change….anything at all.

I wondered, how many times they'd seen one another get hurt? Thousands? Just a few? Or had the fear merely lingered in his mind from the moment they were turned?


	17. Chapter 17: Awaken

Chapter Seventeen: Awaken.

"No…"

The noise was so faint, I half thought that I'd imagined it at first. While we waited for Carlisle to arrive, the living room had been cast over with a looming silence as Jasper and Alice worked to determine who of their family friends they should contact first. Alec sat with Jane, watching and waiting for her to make some sign of awareness. Meanwhile, I contented myself with curling up on the edge of the couch.

"Stop… stop it…"

I jerked to attention. Alec, naturally, was the first to realize that Jane had started to come out of her catatonic state. He shielded her view of everyone else, fingers combing through her hair.

"It's alright." He murmured, his voice low enough that I had to actively listen to catch everything that he said. "You're safe."

"Alec?" She breathed, pushing herself up onto her elbows. "W-What?"

He moved to sit beside her, helping her to sit up the rest of the way. Eyes half-closed with exhaustion and shock, she leaned against his shoulder. Her eyes darted about the room.

When she landed on Jasper and Alice, her lips drew back into a low snarl. In a second, she went from appearing sweet and delicate, to holding the visage of a lynx.

"They're helping us," He said, holding onto her before she could pounce. She looked up at him, jaw set with irritation, but said nothing else on the subject for the time being. Contented with his answer, she settled back down against his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close. Still, her eyes continued to move about the room. Eventually, they came to rest on me.

"You were in the cell. Next to him." She murmured, her head cocked to the side, eyes narrowed. "How'd you get out?"

I swallowed tightly. I wanted to leave those memories behind, in those cells, but it seemed that I wouldn't be able to. Not for a long time.

Not for forever.

"It's a long story," I answered, pressing my lips into a tight smile. "We knew you were on Bosnia so we came here as soon as we were out."

She brightened almost instantly, sitting up straighter in his hold. "Really?"

"Maybe we should have been a bit quicker," He murmured, playing with the ends of her hair. "Was it Audrey?"

"Yes." Jane answered after a short silence. "And that's all I'm going to say about it."

Jasper closed the laptop he'd been working on and leaned forward. "Do you know if she's still in the area?"

"No." She answered instantly, her tone sharp. "I don't remember much of anything."

Alice swallowed tightly, glancing at Jasper from the corner of her eyes. "Carlisle should be here in just a few hours. He'll be able to find out why her memory isn't working."

"Carlisle?" She asked, and her eyes flared wide. "He's coming? The others aren't coming, are they?"

"Eventually." Jasper smirked, his arms folded across his chest. A second later, though his expression relaxed. "We aren't going to attack you. Regardless of how horrid you've been to our family, that isn't how we do things. Besides…" He gave a vague gesture to the ripped clothes she wore and the injuries that covered her body. "It appears as though you've been through enough, already."

"It's odd, though." Alice piped up, drawing all of our eyes to her. "I used to watched Aro's future, the path he planned to take. But...for the last three years, I haven't been able to. It's as though something has blocked my sight of him"

"Well, we'll need to figure out what." Alec mused, "Do your visions get blocked often?"

"Nowadays?" She leaned back, her eyes turned up towards the ceiling. "Yeah, sometimes. I can't see Nessie's future. Not all of it, at least. It's very cloudy with her. Especially with the mutt at her side. I can't see the pack's futures at all."

Alec's brow furrowed momentarily. "She's half-human and half-vampire, yes?"

She gave a brief nod.

"I know why you can't see his path," Alec declared, leaning back against the edge of the couch. "Aro's gotten himself a little hybrid. He doesn't like others to have things that he doesn't have. She must be preventing you from seeing him clearly."

"H-He…. He made a hybrid?" Jasper stammered, "What poor woman…?"

"Her name was Avery," He shrugged. With a contented purr, Jane had settled herself against his chest. "Her name is Euphrasie. Avery had an extensive obsession with _Les Miserables."_

"I see." Jasper cupped his face for a second before bolting to his feet. "I should make a few calls."

Before he could leave, Alec grabbed onto the sleeve of his coat. "If it comes to a battle, I want her left alone. She's good natured and just a child."

"We'll see when it comes to that," Jasper answered, his tone low. With a jerk, he pulled himself out of his grip and headed into the closest bedroom.

"Who is he calling?" Jane questioned, her fingers tight around Alec's shirt. I knew they were close, from what he'd described, but I wasn't sure if I had expected them to be _this_ close. Then again, given

What they'd been through, maybe it wasn't that much of a surprise.

"Friends," Alice gave a tense smile. Jane shrank back, her shoulders hunched and her body curled up slightly. "We're trying to find as many people to stand with us. We had a lot during...well when Renesmee was born. Of course, Carlisle has managed to make at least a dozen more in just the last five or so years."

"I don't think we have to worry," I murmured, doing my best to reassure her, the only person she hadn't met before. "They're coming to help us."

"The Cullens and I have a history," She sighed, her face twisting for a split second before settle into a neutral repose. "I wouldn't put it past them to finish what Audrey started."

"No." Jasper protested, holding his hand out to stop the next words that lingered in her mouth." Like we said, we aren't interested in starting fights with you or Alec. If that were the case, we'd have Bella fly over from New Zealand to nullify your powers. As it stands, we're on equal grounds."

Jane nodded, seemingly a bit more relaxed than she had been moments before.

"New Zealand?" Alec questioned, "Since when are they in New Zealand?"

Jasper gave a short, low laugh. ""Edward thought it would be a good idea for them to travel for a bit. Carlisle is still in Forks. His practice is there and its such a small down that they wouldn't have much of a medical system without him. Rosalie and Emmett live up in Oregon and visit Denali at least once a month."

"And besides Bosnia, where do you two live?"

"Depends," Alice piped up, giving a small grin. "Forks, sometimes. We were in New Zealand with Edward and Bella for the last four months before we came here. We have a house in Seattle and another in Texas."

"I've never been to any of those places," I admitted. Naturally, I'd heard of them, but I kept most of my time to the United Kingdom. "You should stay in Scotland. It's nice and gloomy without looking sad."

"We've visited." Alice answered, her eyes bright. "It's really pretty. Are you from Scotland, then?"

"Yeah. I was born there, but my father was from Wales." I grinned, playing idly with a bit of hair. "I learned Welsh and Gaelic before English."

"Welsh is hardly a language." Alec huffed, giving me a pointed look. "Gaelic is only a bit better."

"Just because it's beyond your realm of comprehension, doesn't mean its any less of a language." I shot back. "It has grammar rules, syntax and formation just like every language. Japanese and Chinese don't look anything like Western Languages when written down, but their still languages."

"Fine, fine." He groaned, holding his hands up in surrender. "I get your point. It's just odd. It's strange to hear and strange to see written down."

"I could teach you," I offered. "Welsh really isn't that difficult, if you start at the basics and work your way up. With our memory retention, you would be able to learn it in just a few weeks."

Alec raised a brow. "I feel as though language lessons are not what any of us need to be spending our time in. Maybe if we live through this, you can teach me anything you want. For now, I just want to focus on surviving."

"Of course," I smiled, tucking the lock of hair behind my ears. "Besides, if it comes to it, I can translate."

"I didn't realize you had become so….close with one another," Jane mused, turning around for a moment to meet Alec's eyes. He shrugged, and his grip around her tightened further still. I couldn't blame them. Not a bit. If I'd gone nearly a year without seeing someone who'd been an integral part of my life since birth, I'd hold onto them with all of my might. It was easier, though, not o get close with anyone. Letting go proved to be a simple, painless part of my life.

"I suppose that just happens…" I said, pressing my lips into a small smile. "When you have no one else to talk to. I think it helped to...quell the blow. Some of the time."

"You were imprisoned in the castle, then?" Jasper asked, his brow furrowed with thought. "I was unaware that Aro kept prisoners."

"He doesn't," Alec answered, "Normally prisoners don't last for more than a week. He has them executed once he's extracted any necessary information from him. I suppose he wanted to see if I would remain loyal to him."

"And you?" Jasper asked, nodding in my direction.

"I'm…. I'm not sure." I drew my legs up to my chest, drawing circles on the tops of my knees. "Audrey thought I had information about an uprising but… I didn't really. I knew nothing more than what had already been found out. I don't know why they kept me alive for as long as they did."

"Could they have wanted you to join?" Alice suggested."Maybe they wanted to break you so much that you had no other choice than to become a member of the guard."

 _Was that the reason? Audrey never mentioned...then again, why would she? Did he intend to have me join the guard?_

"Maybe." I shrugged. I suppose I'd never truly know. It was one of those things where "maybes" existed far longer than definite Nos or yes's. "It doesn't matter if that was his intention. I've spent my entire life being opposed to the Volturi. They couldn't break me that much. I have ideals. I have standards. Aro is a tyrant who has too much power."

Jasper folded his hands, head bowed in solemn thought. "Agreed, but are we prepared to attempt to abolish that power? He's had the upper hand for years. The confrontation was one thing. We're talking about an outright coup."

"We have the upperhand sitting right in front of us, if I'm not mistaken." I grinned, gesturing towards the twins, who did not seem to want to untangle themselves from one another. It was sweet...in an odd way. "With your shield, I believe we really have a chance. If we have more powers in our arsenal and some battle training, we might just be able to pull this off."

"Aren't you optimistic." He chuckled, his mouth turning up into a lopsided smile. "I can handle the training. If everyone that our family is friends with agrees to stand with us...we'll have a strong variety of gifts."

"I'm not staying in the same house," Jane declared, a steadiness to her tone that had been absent until now. "I know what everyone thinks of Alec and myself. We'll find somewhere else. We'll help, but…"

Alice nodded. I couldn't pinpoint her expression exactly, but it held a kind of confident, sure air.

"In time, I believe that we can all get to trust one another," She began, her hands folded in her lap. "For the time being, though, it might be wise...if you and Alec stay somewhere else- After Carlisle makes sure you've healed enough to be on your own."

"I'm not a child." Jane grinned sweetly, prompting Alice to shrink back. Only a moment later, she recovered and straightened.

"I am well aware of that. But you were unresponsive for two days and God-knows how long you spent lying on the ground before Alec and Saoirse found you. Carlisle checking you has nothing to do with you being a child or not. It wouldn't matter if you were physically eighty. He'd still want to make sure you're alright- both of you."

Jane sucked her cheeks in, her head cocked to the side, brow scrunched. "Why?"

"That's just how he is," Jasper grinned, "He doesn't have enemies. He'll fight for those he cares about...but there's never been a time in his life where he's enjoyed or encouraged the suffering of another living being."

"If he can determine our state without touching me, then fine." Alec declared, his eyes narrowed. "Otherwise, he's not getting near me. I'm not going to be poked and prodded like a test subject."

"Well, that's good... " A new voice added itself to the conversation. I hadn't even noticed the door opening, or the footsteps, but a blonde man, no older than his early twenties had stepped into the room. He brought with him a gentle air- the sort of presence that could calm storms and settle the unnerved. "I'm afraid that experimentation on…. Shall we say the humanlike went out of fashion a long time ago."

Alec shrunk back. Somehow, he hadn't felt the gentleness that I had.

"Carlisle," He said haltingly. Jane moved to sit next to him, leaving him to rise to his feet. Then, he gestured towards me. "Saoirse, this is Carlisle Cullen."

Carlisle gave smile that warmed, right down to the bones, and offered a hand. "Pleased to meet you." Briefly, his eyes scanned the room. Jane appeared to be on the verge of pouncing, while Alice and Jasper had merely settled back into going through the document they'd shown Alec moments ago.

"Pleasure," I smiled, a bit tensely, my fingers curled around his hand. "We're really grateful that you opted to come and help us. I'm sure you have better things to occupy your time."

"I've spent all of my existence learning how to help those in need," He said, his stance relaxed. "I'd fly to the moon if it meant the chance to save a life."


	18. Chapter 18: History Favors the Underdog

Chapter Eighteen:

"So, you and Alec were imprisoned in the dungeons for...eight months? "

After Alec and Jane had blatantly refused to let anyone close to them, Carlisle included, I'd volunteered myself to go into the adjoining bedroom with him. Perhaps if I went first, they'd start to trust his intentions.

I knew nothing of this man. I didn't know where he came from or how he had come into this life, but the longer he remained near, the warmer I felt.

"Yes," I murmured, swinging my legs as I sat on the edge of a plaid-quilted single sized bed. "At least, I estimate its around that long. I remember it being around February or March when w- when I was captured. Alice told me the month when we met them in the woods. It was hard to keep track of time."

"Did Alec tell you why he was imprisoned?" He asked, turning to face me, He held a light in his hand, a kind of pen that brightened the room. Approaching, he held it up to my eyes. I flinched. We'd been unused to light for months, and even now, sunlight caused problems. The focused, shining light of his pen caused the sensors in my eyes to flare up.

"Yes," I answered, my voice crisp. That wasn't my secret to tell. Besides, something told me that Alec hadn't told me the entire story either. "It's complicated. He got it worse than I ever did."

"I see," He nodded, drawing the light away. I breathed a sigh of relief, and instinctively drew my legs up to my chest. "I don't expect either of you to be open to discussing everything that happened to you. I can only imagine... " He trailed off, and gave some kind of a sad smile. I felt my stomach churn. I didn't want pity. I just wanted to forget everything.

"I just…" I began, swallowing tightly. "I'm worried about him. I know he needs to talk with someone about it, but he won't. I don't blame him. I know that it would be hard for me to tell someone."

Carlisle regarded my words with a careful, neutral expression, leaning up against a carved dresser at the other side of the small room. "I don't think we should pressure him. There will come the day where he feels comfortable sharing his experience."

I nodded, my chin settled upon my legs. "I know what happened. I can't say it, though. It's not mine to tell… but…"

I frowned, my brow furrowed as I considered my options. If I told Carlisle what happened to him, that didn't mean it had to be brought up again, right? Carlisle could pretend that he had no idea if Alec were ever to bring it up on his own.

"Is there something else?" He asked.

"Audrey did a lot of things." I stammered, playing with the edge of my shirt. "She whipped us. Cut us with a knife. I think it had child of the moon venom on it, so it was able to cut through our skin, whereas otherwise… I don't think it would have been able to do much."

"I see…"

I shuddered. With each word that left my mouth, an image that I'd rather forget sprung up in my mind. I knew that I had to talk about it...logically, that was the best way to move on, but if I could find a way to just erase every bit of the last year from my mind, I'd take it.

"T-There was one time," I began, my voice cracking a bit. I didn't have the right to tell him, but…

I didn't' want Alec to suffer on his own. I wanted him to feel like he could talk about what he'd been through, what we'd all been through.

"Yes?" Carlisle prompted, setting his clipboard down on the bed.

"Audrey came into my room," I recalled, speaking past the massive lump that had managed to lodge itself in my throat. "She started to ask me how I was different from Sarah- oh, Sarah was my name when I was a human. I changed it."

"Many vampires do," He nodded, giving me a tiny smile that managed to quell my fears, if only by a fraction.

"She said I was still the same as I always was…" I trailed off, my eyes closing for a second. "Then, she said that I couldn't stop a rape as Sarah...and that I couldn't stop one as Saoirse. And that's when they came into his cell."

For a fraction of a second, shock spread across his face. "He was assaulted?"

I gave a short, quick nod. "There were three of them. A few weeks later, I broke down the wall between the cells. They didn't even bother to give him any more clothes. They were just...rags."

"I think it's commendable," He said, his lips pulled into a small smile, "How you were both able to survive. I expect that your physical injuries will heal in just a few more days. However, I'm sure you know that the psychological damage will take longer."

"It's not too bad for me," I admitted. Sure, if the torture was brought up unexpectedly, it did unsettle me, but for the most part, I felt like I was able to handle it fairly well. "It's there anything I can do to help him? I don't want to be pushy...or force him into talking about it."

Carlisle had started to collect the fear medical supplies that he deemed useful with another vampire, and turned at my question. "I've had a few sexual assault victims...though no other vampires. What he needs, though, is patience. He needs to know that you're there to support him regardless of how long he needs. Everyone deals with trauma in different ways."

"Don't tell him what I told you, okay?" I half-pleaded. If he found out…

"I won't. I promise. I'll let him come to me about it in his own time."

I nodded, shortly, pushing myself of of the bed at his dismissal.

So, that was that. He determined that my physical injuries would finish healing within the next few days, as long as I fed on a regular basis.

When I arrived back in the living room, Jane had curled up with her head on Alec's lap, his fingers moving through her hair in a fashion that I could only imagine to be the epitome of comforting.

Meanwhile, his eyes darted about the room. Another girl had arrived at some point. Her dark hair and sweet expression made me think of a disney princess, grown up and remade for the for the real world.

"You must be Saoirse," The woman greeted, and like Carlisle, she had a kind of warmth to her voice. "I'm Esme, Carlisle's wife."

She took one of my hands between both of hers, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you for coming," I smiled. Alec caught my gaze. I didn't expect for him to be grateful, at least not yet. I couldn't blame him. "It's really kind of you and Carlisle."

"I'm not a fan of violence, my dear," She confessed, motioning for me to sit with her on the edge of the couch. Jasper and Alice had left, either hunting or looking for people to call, "But it seems as though Aro isn't going to give us any other options."

"Aro isn't going to be the problem," Alec spoke up, his gaze fixed on Jane's face. "It's going to be getting to him. The higher guard is decreasing, that's true, but there are at least a hundred in the lower guard. They'll come when he calls."

Brow furrowed, Esme released my hands to turn to him, "If they're in the lower guard, shouldn't we assume that their powers are mediocre at best?"

"I don't know," He answered, leaning against the back of the couch, "I haven't met all of them. There's a chance that most of them won't have powers out of the ordinary, but we can't go head first into battle without the knowledge of who we're up against."

"Is there a way to find out…?" I asked, looking back between the both of them.

"Eleazar used to work in the guard," Esme paused for a moment, smoothing out her plum-colored skirt. "Though, I'm not sure how our family in Denali would react…" She broke off, casting Alec a kind of apologetic smile. "They haven't quite recovered from the loss of Irina."

"That was on Caius's order. Jane and I had no part in that," He hissed, jaw set tight. "Wouldn't they want to avenge her death by taking out the vampire who was actually responsible?"

"Caius's orders, but Felix and Demetri assisted. What are we expected to do if they decide to leave Aro, just as you and Jane have?" Esme murmured, tucking a lock of her Snow White, dark hair behind her ears. Alec merely scowled. I could understand his frustration; it was horrible to feel the blame for something that you had absolutely no part in.

"Aro's going to continue to have the upperhand if we continue to hold grudges amongst ourselves," Alice began, drawing all eyes to her. "When the Volturi confronted us about Renesmee, we were all one wrong move from a battle breaking out." Pausing, her eyes shifted around the room, glancing over everyone- apart from myself. "We all would have died, but we need to put that behind us and figure out a way to work together. Otherwise, we'll just end up blaming one another. If Demetri and Felix decide to leave Aro, then we'll accept their help. If they don't, they'll remain enemies. Simple as that. We aren't in any position to pick and choose who our allies are."

Carlisle rested a hand on her shoulder. "What about Edward and Bella?"

"If Edward and Bella are too selfish and wrapped up in their own grudges to help throw over the Volturi," Jane hissed, her tone stronger than it had been in a while, "Then perhaps we're better off without them."

"They'll come around." He insisted, holding a hand out to placate her. "We all just need time to get accustomed to the idea of working with one another."

Jane snorted. "Fine, but I'm not going to be made into a scapegoat."

"I'll contact them," Alice decided. "Bella knows that I'll be direct with her."

With that, she rose to her feet, leaned down to kiss Jasper on the cheek, and promptly headed into another room.

So many secret, private phone calls. I wished they didn't always have to go out of their way to keep things confidential. How would we be able to deal with one another if there wasn't enough trust between everyone to make basic phone calls?

"You've contacted other people, right?" I inquired, recalling the list Jasper had shown me yesterday. "Have they responded?"

"Surprisingly, yes." Jasper replied, reclining on the couch. "They've agreed to come out, assess our situation. We can't promise anything past that, but… it's a start, at least."

Carlisle gave a short, curt nod. "We're not enemies in this situation. If that changes after the ordeal with the Volturi, then so be it. For now, I think its in everyone's best interest to try and get along."

"The Volturi were meant to be nothing more than enforcers of the law." Jane began. It was odd to hear her speak so directly, but a nice surprise, nonetheless. "Aro decided to go offscript and lose his mind. If he merely wanted us to keep everyone in check, it would be different...but with all of the power that's gone to his head."

"A few years ago you would have been right by his side." Jasper pointed out. His tone wasn't hostile, but there certainly wasn't much lingering friendliness to it. "What changed?"

"Maybe the bond you had is broken?" I suggested. Someone had mentioned something about a Chelsea...right? "I think…. I think Chelsea, or whatever her name is, was hurt. Maybe her power over everyone broke?"

"Not unlikely," Carlisle crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the wall. "Of course, if Chelsea has been injured to the point that she can no longer create and maintain bonds, then that's good news for all of us."

Alec snorted. I watched as he fiddled and pulled at a bit of string on the edge of the couch, his eyes plastered towards the ground. "Aro has thousands of subordinates who don't need a mental bond to serve him. The worst of us never had to be bonded. Audrey, Kiersten… Tamsin, Eric, Felipe. All of them came and threw themselves at him before Chelsea could so much as breathe. They'll be the challenge for us."

"What are their gifts?" Jasper asked, "We can strategize. Determine which of us would be the best to challenge them."

"Tamsin can change her appearance." I supplied. "Kiersten makes you attack the first person you see."

"She tends to make sure that it's someone who care about." Alec added.

"Audrey repels your gift back at you." I murmured. If not for her annoying little power, Alec and I would have been out three days into our imprisonment.

"Erik doesn't have a particular gift," Alec began, "But he's known for doing experiments on everyone from children of the moon to infant humans. He collects information and presents it to Aro. Felipe puts you into a kind of nightmarish trance."

"Why have we not heard of them?" Alice asked, her voice soft with thought.

Jane grinned. The action caused the sides of her mouth to twitch upwards far past a normal level. I shivered. Pretty as she was, the expression gave her a demented appearance. "Because what you saw of the Volturi was nothing more than a shadow. The tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Now the curtains are falling and Aro's being revealed for what he truly is. Quite frankly, it delights me."

"When I lived with the Volturi, it didn't seem nearly as bad." Carlisle mused.

Alec answered, "It wasn't. Aro was controlling and demanding, but he was confident in his power. Without the Romanians, he had no one to challenge him, so he was able to maintain a level head and think rationally."

I gave a low, dry chuckle. "Funny, isn't it? How his fear of losing power is exactly what's going to cause him to lose it in the end."

"And with his power, goes his sanity." Alec sighed. "I'm more worried about this being tedious, than I am of it being dangerous. It could be years before the Volturi falls."

"And what do we do if some other coven rises to power?" Jane suggested. "Someone worse."

I licked the corner of my mouth. If we managed to find someone worse than Aro in terms of insanity, then we and that individual were to be commended. My eyes moved back and forth, watching the twins. They moved in impossible synchronicity. Alec would shift on the couch, playing with some bit of fabric or his sleeves, and she would move in a similar fashion. Their actions never matched one another's exactly. Rather, it appeared as though they were subconsciously responding.

"We'll just have to do what we can to prevent that." Carlisle said. His voice warm and kind, it made all worries flee from my mind- at least for a moment. "We do need a government. Without one, the vampire world will fall to anarchy."

"Well," Jasper began, his lips twisted up into a smirk. "History has favored the underdog when it comes to rebellions."


	19. Chapter 19: Bella and Training

Chapter Nineteen: Bella and Training

"Now, Bella'll be able to use her shield to protect us," Jasper paced back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back. He'd insisted that we all start training first thing in the morning, and with the sun poking above the horizon, we found ourselves in the backyard. "However, her gift can fail at times."

"What?" Alec asked, his voice drenched with mock-surprise. "Cullen isn't an infallible angel?"

Jasper's jaw clenched. "She can only repel mental attacks. It's a bit convoluted. I imagine that Kiersten's gift works in the mind, but if Tamsin physically warps the cellular makeup of her body, then it would be considered physical."

He glanced in our direction.

"I don't know," I murmured, ringing my hands together. "It could be an illusion… if that's the case, would Cullen be able to prevent her from changing?"

"Possibly."

"Who cares?" Alec demanded. He pushed himself to his feet, hands thrust into the pockets of his pants. "Audrey'll just reflect her power back at her and take the advantage. I would advise her to not use the shield at all."

The two of them met eyes for a brief second. Electric energy flowed in the space that lingered between their gaze. Finally, lips tight, Jasper nodded.

"I'll pass the note along." He agreed. The words were only for Alec, but we heard them,nevertheless. Even Esme and Alice, who had remained inside to continue making phone calls, would have picked up on their conversation. "However, it wasn't my plan to use Bella and her powers as an example of battle strategy. We all need to be able to stand without her help. Whether it be a one on one face off or one against sixteen, I want us to be able to hold our own. Saoirse, Alec, Jane- you're small. Quick. Agile. You'll be able to get out of holds and dodge oncoming attacks."

"Thanks, Cullen, but I don't think I've very done a hold, a dodge, or a quick in my life." Jane snapped. She leaned up against the edge of the villa, playing with a piece of wood that had broken off. "I was already ambushed. I got this out of it." She gestured vaguely to her torn face. "You better hope to God your strategies play out."

He watched her from the corner of his eyes. "You can count on it. Saoirse,"

I jerked at my name. Assuming that I wouldn't be needed, I'd zoned out somewhat.

"What is it?"

"Have you ever been trained to fight?" He asked, stepping closer. Instantly, I pushed myself to my feet.

"Some." I murmured. I tucked a lock of hair behind my ears and met his eyes. Comparable to the nearly-risen sun, I felt a kind of soothing sensation flow through my bones. "Not extensively, though...and not for years."

"Would you care to join me." He gestured to the open area. I swallowed, but followed him without a word. Side by side, I only came up to his shoulder.

Jasper could kill me. He could rip me to shreds, but the contented feeling remained. I _knew_ he wouldn't act on those abilities- so long as I didn't become a threat.

"You and Alice are close to the same height," He observed. I felt his gaze on the top of my head, taking some variation of mental measurements. "I'll teach you some of the same techniques that I've taught her."

He pulled away, moving to stand at the edge of the yard. From the distance, he motioned for me to do the same, but in the opposite direction.

Fifty or so feet separated us. I rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet.

"Now, come at me as fast as you can." He called, "Try and get me down to the ground."

My feet started to move before my brain had fully registered what I was meant to do.

 _Get him down on the ground. Easy._

My body slammed against his, causing a loud crash that prompted me to wince.

He remained tall, steady, as though he'd been nudged in the stomach by an affectionate kitten.

Hissing, I reeled back, and drove myself at him from the side, pushing my elbow deep into his stomach.

He gave a low grunt. Not pain, just an acknowledgement that there had been a sensation there.

"Okay, okay, you're not gonna get me like that." He chuckled, and grabbed me by the shoulders. "I want you to get lower."

"I can show her, Jas."

A melodic voice skipped into his instructions. Alice lilted to his side, her arms swinging back and forth as she skipped.

"Edward and Bella will be here in six hours," She announced, resting her head on his shoulder. He was right...she had maybe an inch on me, if that. "Rose and Emmett have the earliest flight tomorrow morning. After that… they should start coming. Everyone."

"Just hope the Volturi doesn't get wind of it." Alec said, his tone low and emotionless. I wondered, in the back of my mind, if he really cared if Aro found out about our little rebellion. He seemed rather indifferent. "He'll crush us before we've even begun."

"Hence why we've elected to stay in Bosnia," Alice pressed her lips into a tight smile. "We've gone through this a time or two before. Aro wouldn't have gotten wind of Renesmee last time if it hadn't been for Irina's misinterpretation of what she'd seen. As long as no one betrays us… we'll be fine."

"Aro has spies, Cullen." He snapped, stepping closer. My body went rigid. Stepping backwards, I watched as he closed the space between the two of them. Less than three feet kept them apart. "He knows better than to wait for random nomads to come with him for information. He'll find out sooner or later."

Jasper wrapped an arm around Alice, who's lips had pulled into a small growl of warning.

"Guys," I began, my voice small. I knew I shouldn't break in, but… "We don't need to fight. We're on the same side. C'mon, Jasper. Why don't you train us at the same time."

"I have seen your fighting style," Alice said, nodding towards him. "You could use some improvement."

"How the hell did you-" He broke off, his jaw set. "Right. The visions."

She gave an apologetic smile, "It's awful. Launch and grab. It's not all that effective."

"We'll work on the twins in a bit," Jasper said. Alec's eyes lit up with irritation. "Saoirse, would you like Alice to demonstrate the tactic I mentioned?"

I shrugged, wrapping my arms around my body. It wasn't _cold_ least not any colder than we all were naturally, but I wanted nothing more than to run inside and cozy up inside of a heated blanket.

"Yeah, that might be useful."

I retreated back to the steps to watch, internally weighing the chances that Jasper would decide to use Alice for the rest of the demonstrations, and I would be allowed to sit and observe.

Alice moved away from him, skipping merrily as she did so. It wasn't until she turned and they faced one another that her entire form changed.

Her sweet expression melted. Underneath it, she was fierce and poised for attack. If I hadn't seen them snuggled up on the couch, I would have never guessed that the man she snarled at now was her mate.

She bolted across the span of the yard. Halfway to Jasper, she tucked her head slightly so that she was even smaller compared to him. Like I had before, she turned towards the side at the last few yards and drove her elbow into the space right above his groin.

He buckled slightly, but still remained on his feet.

Alice's snarl melted, and the sweet, skipping Alice was back in an instant.

"No fair." She huffed, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. "We were _supposed_ to show them how to bring a larger opponent down."

"Of course," He purred back. He caught her hands in his own, and pressed a small kiss to the center of her palm. "Care to go again, darlin'?"

She rolled her eyes, but returned to her previous spot with the same, bubbly gait and expression as before.

"Now, you want to get your opponent into a position that makes their head vulnerable." He announced as Alice darted towards him.

When she collided with him, she used the momentum gained from her speed to put him on his knees.

"It's easier to tear off someone's head when they're lower than you." Alice added. Taking a step back, she allowed her mate to rise to his feet. "Get the head off and the rest isn't so hard. We're going to be setting a lot of fires."

Jasper straightened, "Saoirse. Do you want to try again?"

I froze. "I mean… no?"

He laughed. "You need it. Come on. Come and join me."

I groaned, but followed his orders without further complaint. Given that we were on the verge of war… I supposed I should be grateful for the help.

"Remember what Alice did? Just get me down to the ground."

I closed my eyes for a split second, shutting off the world so that I could recall exactly what she'd done.

My feet moved without thought, pounding across the grass with blind determination. I lowered myself closer to the ground, gaining momentum.

He didn't quite crumple to the ground, but I felt his weight shift; I'd knocked him off balance, but he recovered.

"Not bad." He praised, lips curled into the smirk that I now felt familiar with. "We'll work on techniques later, yeah? So long as Aro doesn't find out in the next couple of days, we should have more time to devote to training."

I cocked my head, "Did you not...before?"

"The last two times we were on the verge of battle, our enemies came to us. We had a few weeks of warning- thanks to my visions- but that was only a short time to train and get enough allies together." Alice was the one to answer my question. I turned towards her. "This time we're going to them. We aren't waiting around for Aro to figure out what's going on."

"But, he will," Alec pointed out, as though they hadn't taken his last four warning seriously.

"Will what?"

A new voice entered the conversation.

Three people stood on the steps. My eyes scanned over their features.

The man was lean, somewhat tall, with messy red-brown hair. The woman- somewhat smaller, with dark brown hair that reached nearly to her waist.

In between them, a girl who couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen years old. Her hair fell in ringlets down past her shoulder blades, the same shade as her fathers.

Her eyes stood out. Not gold like theirs. Not red like hours. Brown.

Mundane. Simple. But here...extraordinary.

Jane bolted to her feet. I felt the tension in her body radiate throughout the air, as though she needed to make the entire universe just as angry as she was.

"Bella, Edward," Jasper greeted. There was a note of familiarity in his tone, and of warmth, but also caution.

"Thank you," I cut in, desperate to defuse the animosity, to start things off on the right foot. "For coming."

The woman said nothing, but she did give a half-hearted nod, wrapping her arms tighter around the shoulders of the smaller girl.

"We trust our family," The man spoke up, his voice low. It was somewhat melodic, but there was a note to it that made my stomach clench.

I gave a small smile. "You seem very close. It must be nice to have so many people to rely on."

"It is." The woman finally spoke. "But we will know if this is a trap set by Aro. If a fight breaks out amongst us, we- my family and I, will win. You can guarantee that."

"Bella." The man put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not. I can read them all. This isn't a trap."

"I've tried to take down the Volturi for years," We were on the same side. I _needed_ her to understand that.

Bella snorted. "Yeah. But what about them? They've been in Aro's palm for God-Knows-How-Long and-"

"No. They want out." Edward murmured, "They've had enough, Bell. You can relax."

The woman rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, but her expression changed within a few seconds. She didn't smile, but she no longer snarled, body lurched forward, poised to spring.

"Why don't we all go inside?" Alice suggested, motioning towards the door. A weight lifted from my shoulders. If anyone would help us to get along with each other, it would be here. It was as though we were diplomats from tentatively friendly countries.

We followed her instructions, but that was where the niceties ended. Once inside, we grouped off. Alice and Jasper and Esme and Carlisle stood, while the rest of us sat on opposite couches.

Bella still didn't seem as though she was ready to play nice. I held my breath. Any second, she could decide that it wasn't worth her trip, or her time. She could choose to leave.

We sat in silence, but for us, nothing could ever be truly silent. I listened as cars rushed past on a dirt road some fifteen or more kilometers away, or bugs scurred against the foundation meters below our feet.

The grandfather clock sounded the loudest noise. It counted the lulling seconds like a heartbeat.

Renesmee rose, and with a fluid, angelic motion she moved away from her parents. I thought, briefly, she had just gotten up to stretch. Being a hybrid, I could assume that her body had a few human needs.

She crossed the room, her fingers outstretched. I only just realized that she had been reaching for me when her hand landed on my cheek.

The thoughts that filled my mind were not my own. They were her story.

She showed me everything…

Her birth. Her unprecedented, miraculous growth.

The incident with a friend of the family. The Volturi…

With all of the trauma she'd been put through, I expected for her to be filled with bitterness, as her mother was.

But along with the images, she poured forgiveness into my mind. I felt her warmth from within, her sweetness.

When she pulled her hand back, I reeled.

"Sorry," She murmured, her lips curled into a small smile. "I hope I didn't scare you."

I shook my head. "You didn't. That was...interesting to say the least. I didn't know you could do something like that."

"Renesmee," Bella hissed.

She darted across the room, fingers wrapping tightly around her daughter's shoulders.

"She's quite remarkable," I admitted, tilting my head back to meet the other vampire's eyes.

"Yes. Thank you."

With a low sigh, I pushed myself up. I understood that she had been through a lot with the Volturi- Jane and Alec in particular. It wasn't easy to work with someone who had been an enemy for years.

"Do you have a second?" I inquired, keeping my tone even and indifferent. "I would like to talk-privately."

She instantly looked towards Edward. I wanted to roll my eyes, but seconds later I realized she hadn't asked for his approval, she wanted to know if my intentions had been genuine.

"Sure," She replied. "Why don't we take a walk?"

We headed back out into the backyard, and into the woods that surrounded the house.

Half a mile into the trees, she stopped short and turned.

"How do you know them?" That was the first question out of her mouth. "Jane and Alec. You seem...close. At least with Alec."

I swallowed. I would have preferred it if Edward told her. I knew that he knew, and it made it easier.

"We were imprisoned." I answered, "In the castle. Next to one another."

Her expression altered for a split second, but it settled.

"Imprisoned," She repeated, "Why was he imprisoned?"

I clenched my jaw. Why did she have to be so nosy about it?

"He did something that Aro didn't like."


	20. Chapter 20: Confessions

Chapter Twenty: Confessions

Swan raised a brow, arms crossed over her chest, "What do you mean?"

I resisted the urge to grown- to roll my eyes- to scoff, and contented myself with a low sigh, "Listen, Swan, I can already sense that the two of you have some less-than-pleasant history with one another, so I don't think I need to be the one to tell you what's happened with him and Aro."

"Is that because he hasn't told you?"

I shake my head, "He told me. I know the basics of why Aro initially became angry with him, but I haven't asked for the details. I feel it's better not to pry. When he's ready, he'll tell me."

"Are you sure of that?" She asked, her head cocked. I could feel her bitterness practically radiating off of her. "Perhaps he's just holding back information because he wants you on edge. What do you really know about him?"

Fingers twitched at my sides. I so wanted to smack her across the face, but, still, I held myself back.

"I spent over half a year in a cell next to his." I growled my voice that deadly calm tone that always terrified me, "I listened to him scream. Cry. We talked about where we'd go when we escaped. I listened to him give up again and again. I listened to-"

"To what?"

"No. That's too much." I straighten, allowing my arms to fall to the side. "Is there anything else you want to ask? I won't promise to answer but,"

"I'm satisfied for now," She nodded back towards the house and gestured me forward with her hand.

Not out of politeness, I quickly deduced. She was afraid I'd snap her neck from behind, the second she made herself vulnerable.

Three people had arrived in the time we'd been outside.

The first, a burly man that towered over me and the twins. He leaned against the doorway between the living room and deserted kitchen. At his side, a blonde woman with a stunning face, even in the company of vampires.

Standing behind the couch, the third vampire had familiar burgundy eyes and long, sandy hair tied back into a ponytail. He wore layers of clothes, as though he were a backpacker.

"Saoirse," Carlisle rose and motioned to a couple of vampires by the doorway, "These are Emmett and Rosalie, two of my adopted children," and to the vampire behind the couch, "And this is Garrett,"

"Hello," I gave a quick smile and moved to sit on the edge of the other couch, inches away from Alec and Jane. "Thank you for coming,"

"The rest of the Denali's haven't been so easy to convince," Rosalie said, "Garrett's forgiving, but the others haven't forgotten what the Volturi did,"

"We aren't the Volturi," I declare, "I've never been,"

"Carlisle told us all of that," Emmett added, and despite his size, his voice was impossibly calming. "If he trusts you, then so do I."

"Unfortunately, Tanya thinks we're all insane and being led into a trap," Rosalie supplied, running a hand through a section of her gorgeous hair. "Garrett volunteered to come on ahead and assess the situation."

"Kate wasn't happy with it," Garrett stretched his arms over his head. "But as Emmett said, we trust Carlisle and he seems to trust you, so… here we are."

"Will you report to your coven that it's safe for them to come and help?" I pressed. We had a decent amount of people so far, but Aro had thousands of soldiers at his disposal. We needed as much firepower as possible.

"I'll call Kate tonight and see if I can convince her to talk to Eleazar and Carmen," He explained, and I had to pretend like I knew who the hell any of those people were. "Tanya's going to be the hardest to convince. Her and Irina were close as sisters for a thousand years. Losing her as- well, I guess it would feel the same to the twins if they lost one another,"

Jane and Alec exchanged glances and held each other's hands just a little tighter than before.

"We can be patient. If they want any questions answered, I can help you there," I smile. I hated to have to be so sweet and mediating, but if we wanted to form alliances, I was going to have to suck some metaphorical dicks.

"Just don't go telling people things that aren't your business, Saoirse," Alec huffed, and he said my name in a strange way. He pronounced it right, yes, but it was so harsh that I almost didn't notice that it was my name at all.

I tensed, "I have more sense than that,"

"Of course. I forgot," He pushed himself up and leaned into his hands, "You always know exactly what to do and what to say,"

My jaw clenched. "May I speak with you? Alone."

I rose and stalked into one of the spare bedrooms. To my surprise, he followed and closed the door behind him.

"What?" He demanded.

"Why are you-? Why have you-? What's…?" I let out a long groan. For someone who supposedly had perfect brain cells, it took me a fucking long time to get my words together, "Why are you in such a bad mood? Why do you keep snapping at me?"

He raised a brow and I wanted to smack him for looking so stupidly beautiful. "Snapping? Saoirse, I've been nothing but calm. If you want to see me snap, I can fucking show you."

"You're clearly upset about something, Alec. I'm not an idiot-"

"Shocking."

"You're being a fucking dick," I hissed. "We've been through so much at this point. Don't you think I deserve a little bit of trust?"

He scoffed, throwing his head back as though I'd just told the joke of the Goddamn millennium. "Trust? After what you told Carlisle?"

I swear I could feel the non-existent blood drain from my face. "Listen… I… I know that wasn't my place to tell but you were...you were suffering so much. I just wanted to find someone who could help."

"And you didn't think to ask if that's what I wanted," His voice dipped a few octaves, quivering. "You didn't because you only wanted to be the hero. You wanted to feel good for reaching out. Saoirse. I don't want people to know what happened. I didn't want you to know. I didn't want Jane or Carlisle or any other fucking person to know."

"You would have rather gone through it alone?" I asked, my stomach knotting.

"Yes," He insisted, "Because then it would only be my memory. And maybe one day, it would fade to the point that I didn't want to scream every time someone touches me. When more than one person has the same memory, it lasts forever."

"I'm sorry," I whispered. Was it truly better to suffer alone, to wait until you could forget it ever happened?

"It's fine," He took a step closer. "But next time you want to try to be the hero, you need to ask me about it first,"

He was quite close, now. I could see little flecks of white on his skin. Remnants from a smattering of freckles, I deduced. "Think the Denalis or whoever will end up showing up?"

"Yeah, if they can pull their heads out of their ass and realize that we're trying to take down the people that ripped off their sister's head."

"They sound obnoxious," I roll my eyes and flop down on the edge of the bed, "Maybe I'll cut the sweet and generous act for them,"

"You mean you aren't a doe-eyed little mediator? Was it an act? I am shocked and betrayed,"

He lay down on the bed, stretching his arms over his head.

"I'm very sorry for your suffering," I snort, swatting at his side, "C'mon, get up. Your sister's going to be pissed if she was to stay outside without you."

"Shhh, I'm sleeping," He rolled over his side and made a shushing motion.

With a sigh, I yanked one of the pillows out from under him and whacked him in the side.

"You can't sleep. Get up."

"I sure as fuck can't with you hitting me."

"Alec. Come. On. We can't just stay in here all day."

He pried the pillow out of my grasp and tucked it back under his head.

Resigned, I plopped down next to him. He popped an eye open, looking me up and down.

"What the hell are you-?" I pressed a hand to his mouth.

"Shhh, I'm sleeping," I smirked. He rolled his eyes and drew a blanket over both of us.

Even if we couldn't truly sleep, it did feel nice to rest and forget the rest of the world for a while.

And when he pretends to be asleep, he seems sweet and innocent; it's hard to imagine how much of a smart-ass he is.

We lay in silence for a while. An hour- maybe two or more. I could the rhythm of his breathes and the way he shifts in his pseudo sleep.

"Do you forgive me?" I whispered, my fingers hovering above his face as I leaned on my elbow. "For telling Carlisle?"

He half-shrugged, snuggling against the pillow as though he truly was about to fall asleep. I gingerly brushed a strand of hair away from his eyes and I feel him lean into the touch- but that could have only been my imagination.

"Yes," He replied, "I know you meant well enough by it,"

"Do you think you're feeling better?" I asked settling back down on my side. I rest a hand on his cheek and bite my lip.

He doesn't pull back as I'd expected. Only a month ago- possibly less- he cringed away at my very presence, commanded that I not come any closer. So, perhaps he was getting better?

Or just repressing the memory as well he could.

"A little," He admitted, "To be honest, if you weren't here, I might have found a way to end it, anyway."

Somehow, his words stab through my heart. "Don't. Please don't ever fucking say that."

"Why not? It's only the truth." He shifted closer, "It helps to have someone who just knows, without me having to explain it to them. I said before that I didn't want anyone to know but...maybe not. Maybe it'd be too much, then. If you weren't there, behind the wall, telling me to keep holding on, I'd have given up to Audrey long ago."

I swallowed my pride and steadied my voice, "Even if we'd never met, I don't want to live in a world where you're not around,"

"Saoirse…"

"Because I love you," I breathed out, the words tumbling from my lips before my brain had a chance to regulate what they were, "Dammit, Cariad, I love you, and I don't know when I started to love you but I know that I do. I always thought that love was so fucking stupid. I thought it was useless and only brought trouble."

"Listen, Saoirse, I-"

"It doesn't. It makes people stronger. It brings them together." My eyes closed. I can't bring myself to look at his face. "It breaks down walls. And, I realize that you might not feel the same way towards me, but I needed you to know."

His arms wrapped around me, drawing me closer. "If you'd shut up for eight seconds, you might have heard that I love you, too."

I opened my eyes. He wore the most obnoxious, self-satisfied grin. Relief floods through my body.

I'd been prepared for a few weeks of unrequited love, followed by an eternity of disgustingly over dramatic pining.

Settling myself against him, I reached up against to smooth my fingers across the planes of his cheeks, carding through his hair at every chance. I feel his hands running up and down my back, drawing circles, and lines with the tips of his fingers.

"We've been in here for almost three hours," He mentioned, slowly pushing himself up. "At this point, I'm surprised Jane hasn't broken down the door,"

"I guess we do have to interact with everyone else at some point," I grinned, slipping off the bed and adjusting my shirt. "They'll probably be suspicious- given how long we were in here for,"

"Let them," He winked and I found myself caught between snorting and swooning. "They can be jealous,"

He entwined his fingers with mine and we head back into the living room.

Esme beamed at the sight of our locked hand. Alice looked as though she was seconds away from throwing confetti at our faces.

"Fuckin' finally!" Emmett cried. "I mean, shit. The sexual tension between the two of you was palpable. Rose and I could feel it the second you came back from talking with Bella,"

"Well, Jasper did read your emotions," Alice smiled, resting her chin on the palms of her hands, "He could tell you were rather fond of each other. In fact, its that bond he noticed that made it so easy to convince Rose and Emmett and Carlisle and Esme and Edward and Bella to come,"

I grimaced. Apparently, everyone knew how I felt for him before I'd admitted it to myself.

"It's finally happened, so you can all relax," I sighed.

"Just don't do anything stupid," Jane declared, "You wouldn't want something to happen to you, Saoirse,"

An ominous threat, but better than her clawing my face off, as I'd expected. We sit on the couch next to her, Alec in the center. I release his hand and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

They hold a silent conversation, and I almost want to believe that they're speaking telepathically with one another.

I drew my knees up to my chest, leaning against the edge of the couch.

"You look tired, Sao,"

I looked up. Renesmee sat on the edge of the coffee table, swinging her legs back and forth.

"Do you want to go on a walk?" She asked, jumping to her feet. She held out her hand expectantly. I looked over my shoulder.

"I'll be back," I said, rising to my feet.

Renesmee lead the way down a little path through the woods until we reached a miniature creek that ran through the ground. At the edge of it, she dropped to her knees and kicked off her shoes and socks.

"Why did you want me to come with you?" I asked. She waded into the water until it came up past her ankles.

She cocked her head to the side, brow furrowed. Then, the expression broke and she clapped her hands together, "Oh! I just thought you could use some fresh air. It can be hard to think properly with everyone around, all crowded into the same room."

"You aren't at all like your mother," Barefoot, I stepped into the water

"You're the first person to say that," She grinned, "Mama will learn to trust you soon, though. Please don't think she's horrible, okay? She's just scared of something happening with me or my dad."

"I understand," I promised. The thought of losing someone you loved- especially after it had nearly happened before- was enough to drive someone insane.

I understood that now, better than I had before.


	21. Chapter 21: Trust

Chapter Twenty-One:

Renesmee's lips cracked into a brilliant smile, "Sao, I want to show you something,"

Before I could guess what such a thing could be, she'd knelt down and scooped up some water, flinging it at my face.

I screeched, throwing my hands up in a feeble attempt to block the attack.

Alright. If that's how she wanted it.

"How sweet of you," I grinned despite my dripping hair and unbutton the jeans Alice had been kind enough to lend me, pushing them down. "There was something I wanted to show you, too,"

Her eyes light up. "Really?" Fuck, she was adorable, "What?"

With the water up to my waist, I slam my hand down, sending up a wave that nearly engulfs her.

"Eeeyyyahhh!" She screamed, but it turned into laughter as the water cascaded down her body. She threw her head back and her bronze hair caught the sun, warning it up to the shade of autumn leaves. "God, don't you just love it here? It's so warm. So bright,"

"It might become a battlefield," I moved towards the shore, absently ringing the water out of my hair. "I wouldn't get too attached to it,"

"My favorite place became a battlefield when I was little," She shrugged, wading up to the bank. Flopping onto her back, she raised her arms above her head and gave a low sigh, "Doesn't help to be bitter about it,"

"How old were you?"

"A few months? I think?" Her nose scrunched up. "I felt older. I _looked_ much older than I actually was,"

"Still," I sighed, and drew my knees up to my chest, "You were so young. I'm sorry. For everything that happened, Renesmee,"

Her lips turned up into a faint smile; it radiated sweetness.

"I could be angry about it. Like mama. But… it's always been very tiring for me to stay mad about something. I just find it much more pleasant to be happy," She cocked her head to the side, "You're really good for him. Alec. You should see how he looks at you,"

"Alec doesn't look at me any particular way,"

"Yes! Yes, Saoirse, he does. He looks at you… like. God, I don't know. Like how my mama looks at my dad,"

"Blind devotion?"

"Didn't you tell him you love him earlier today?" She smirked, her features momentarily darkening. "Is it really hard to believe that he might look at you like he loves you?"

"I did, but that isn't going to change things between us automatically. We're taking things slow so-"

"Before you told him that you love him, though, he looked at you like he loved you. You looked at him the same way. Uncle Jasper noticed it the second he and Auntie Alice met you,"

"I already know all of that-"

"He loves you. He really loves you. I think it's the most wonderful thing, to be honest,"

"You're horribly obsessed with love. It's not healthy," I paused, and turned to her, "Are you in love with someone?"

"A lot of people thought I should have been. But, no,"

I cocked my head, "Explain,"

"Well, mama has this friend named Jacob and…" She paused to groan and run her fingers through her hair. "He's a wolf. A shapeshifter, really. Not one of the full moon types. When I was a baby, he imprinted on me. Everyone thought that meant we were destined to be together. No one asked if that's what I wanted. We were best friends. Really, great friends. He was everything I could ask for but…"

She sniffed and wiped her nose, "But I didn't love him. Not like that. I loved him like a brother. A best friend. Everyone believed that once I grew up I'd fall in love with him. I didn't."

"He didn't take it very well, did he?"

"It was on my birthday," She muttered, tucking a lock of hair behind her ears as she perched her chin on her knees. "September. Just a few months ago. He gave me the charm to put on the bracelet he got me as a child. Does it every year, so I didn't think much about it until he explained what it meant. Eternal love. I should have been happy. Everyone was so sure I'd be so happy, but when he gave it to me, I understood that I'd been living a lie. I asked to meet him by the river and then I told him. Needless to say… it was bad. He wasn't _angry._ He was….sad. Devastated. I made mama stay with him for a week because I worried he might do something dramatic."

"That isn't fair, though," I huffed, "Not for you, I mean. He should have understood, better. You weren't born with the requirement to love him,"

Her lips flutter into a tiny smile, "I want to be able to decide my own destiny. I didn't choose to be born. I didn't want to put everyone in danger when Aro decided I might be an immortal child. I just…"

She broke off and buried her face in the back of her knees.

"Jacob hasn't spoken to me since then. No card. No letters. No phone calls. Nothing. I wanted things to remain as they'd been up until my birthday. I wanted to keep my best friend but I ruined that,"

"Ren, you didn't ruin anything,"

She looked up, "You're the first person to call me that. Most people call me Nessie. Except for mama, because she hates it."

"Your mother is particular when it comes to your name,"

Edward leaned against a tree behind us, his face crumpled with a strange combination of amusement and exhaustion.

"Mama wouldn't have that problem if she named me something normal," Renesmee protested, pushing herself up. "She's given me a sad life of no keychains or coke bottles with my name on it,"

Edward laughed, "I'm sure we can order you a custom keychain if you want it. Saoirse,"

I jerked.

"Alec sent me to get you. Some people just arrived and they want to meet you,"

"Lovely," I sighed, brushing the mud off of my ass, "Should I be worried? I don't want to get strangled by anyone who still has their panties up their butt about the Volturi,"

"Whoever it is," Renesmee stood up and slung her arms around my shoulders, "I'll make sure they're nice to you,"

* * *

" _Now,_ Bella, move!"

We'd come up the embankment to the house and found Bella in front of Alec and Jane, her stance defensive. In front of her, two women with golden eyes and silken, white-blonde hair. One wore it straight, while the other's hair fell in dainty waves around her lovely face.

"Tanya, be reasonable," Bella groaned. "We knew you wouldn't have come if you knew everything an-"

"So you told Garrett to lie to me," The other woman hissed, her eyes briefly darting to the couch, where Garrett lounged with a brilliant grin. " _You_ lied to me, Bella," Her eyes darkened and she took a step closer, though despite Bella's less-than intimidating stature, didn't just push her out of the way. "Have you forgotten what _they_ did. How she tortured Edward, how _he_ would have murdered everyone if it wasn't for your shield. Remember how _eager_ they were to see your daughter dead. Ripped from your arms?" Her voice cracked. I stood against the door. Alec, his face smooth with hints of amusement, seemed hardly concerned, "They killed Vasilii, the baby our mother changed. Bella- they killed Irina. How can you- with- _why_ ,"

Renesmee broke away and ran in front of her mother

"People can change, Auntie Kate," She declared, throwing her arms wide, though Bella didn't seem to be in need of assistance. Both of the woman's expressions softened at the sight of her. "Auntie Tanya, please. Please, just trust me? We would never have called you here if it wasn't necessary. We-"

"If I may, I think I could explain things better,"

I stepped into the room and sat on the armrest at Alec's side. With a grin, he lay his head against my side. "This is getting tedious,"

Tanya and Kate snarled.

"Peace," Edward sighed, holding a hand up as he moved to wrap an arm around Bella's waist. "This is Saoirse. I think you'll find it wise to listen to what she has to say,"

They exchanged glances and took a step back.

"We'll here you out, for the time being," Tanya said as the both of them sank into the opposite couch. Bella's face relaxed and she and Edward moved out of the way, "So, Saoirse. Tell me, who are you? What role do you have in all of this?"

"Alec and I were imprisoned next to one another in the Volturi castle," I began, and I felt him tense against me. "We were there from February to November,"

"Why?" Kate demanded.

"I was part of a small group who worked to overthrow the Volturi," I said, "I was caught and taken prisoner,"

"I was there because I'd fallen in love with Aro's daughter,"

At his declaration, a low hum of murmuring spread over the room.

"A daughter?" Kate murmured, "How so do you mean?"

"A hybrid," He explained, "Born of him and a human woman named Avery. Her name is Euphrasie. Aro doesn't like others to have that which he does not. In Euphrasie, he got a hybrid and a psychic."

"Why didn't he like that you'd taken to her?"

"Aro didn't like many of the things my sister or I did, lately," He sat up straight and leaned forward, "After the incident with Renesmee, he became unhinged. Everything any of the guard did was suspicious in his eyes. I'm sure he thought that I planned to leave the coven. Jane, too. If we were gone, he'd be quicker to fall apart,"

Jane hummed, and tossed her head back. "I think we should make his dreams come true."

"This is unbelievable," Tanya declared, her brilliant golden eyes darting from Edward, then to Alec and Jane, and to myself, "They've been the pillars, the cornerstones of the Volturi for centuries. Why would they give up a life like that?"

Jane's lips curled into a cold smile, and despite her beauty, the scars on the side of her face gave her a terribly demented appearance.

"Cornerstones? Perhaps, but only when we're deemed useful. If our gifts work properly, of course Aro cares for us. It means he can use us to control the rest of the supernatural world," She inclined her head partly towards Bella, "When something causes our gifts to fail, he isn't happy about it. No," She turned to the side and indicated a broken scar that went down her temple to her cheek, "When we came back to Volterra, he shattered my face. Took more than a week to heal,"

Bella's mouth hung open, "I-I'm sorry," She managed to stutter after a numb silence.

"Aro's talent is keeping up appearances. He organized the Voturi so flawlessly...it's astounding. Chelsea to cut the ties of other covens, to rebind vampires that he has interest in to him. Corin keeps everyone content. He made one mistake though- Alec and I,"

I turned to face her, "How?"

"He didn't have Chelsea bind us," She explained, tucking a lock of hair behind her ears. "Assumed that we'd remain loyal- regardless,"

"Why?" Renesmee questioned, leaning against the armrest on Jane's side of the couch.

"Aro changed us. We were burning and...and he saved us," Something flickered in her expression and her hand instantly sought out her twin's touch, "See. Twins weren't common when we were born. If they were, both or one died before birth. The villagers thought we must have been witches- filed with black magic- just for being alive,"

"That's terrible!"

"Renesmee, it's fine,"

"No, it's not!" She screeched, gripping the armrest until her nails sunk into the leather. "I wasn't supposed to be born, either. Everyone thought that I'd be dangerous- at least at first. I'm just sad that no one would give you that chance."

"It was a different time, alright?" Jane sighed, but her lips twitched into a tiny smile. "Don't get too sympathetic, okay? You'll give your mother a conniption,"

Kate held up a hand, "This is all very nice, but it doesn't explain everything. I understand the difficulties with Aro, but… why are you here? Why are the Cullens here? Are we in danger?"

I slid off the armrest and nudged myself in between Alec and it.

"Alec and I escaped the castle. We came to Bosnia to find Jane. Aro'd sent one of his new guard to kill her. We found her and ran into Jasper and Alice and they took pity on us,"

"Believe me, Tanya," Jasper said, his beautiful voice a soothing melody of tones, "Had I suspected any malicious intention, I'd have taken advantage of their conditions and killed them on the spot. When we came across them, the only emotions I could detect were fear and exhaustion,"

"I, too, analyzed their thoughts when I arrived," Edward said, "Jane's thoughts were never outwardly sadistic before. They were prideful, eager to please. When I looked through her and Alec's thoughts this time, they were different. She's tired. He is too. If those thoughts change at all, I will be the first to act."

Renesmee bounded over to her aunts and took their hands, "You can trust them. I promise. Please, just try?"

They exchanged glances,

"Very well. We'll indulge your foolishness for the time being," Kate wiggled her fingers. Lightning crackled between them. "Just remember. I've been practicing with this,"

"Noted," I murmured, "Do we have plans to reach out to anyone else?"

"Carmen and Eleazar will be along soon, once they finish in Spain,"

"It'll be nice to be on the same side as him, after so long," Alec said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Against my better judgment, I lay my head against his chest. "Anyone else?"

"I can call Zafrina and Senna," Renesmee announced, "Kachiri, too. Maybe,"

"I'll reach out to Peter and Charlotte,"

"And I'll see if I can find where Mary and Randall are," Alice grinned, swinging her arms back and forth, "Once everyone learns to trust you, we won't have anything to worry about. Bella'll protect everyone with her shield. We'll take Aro down in minutes. Boom. Done."

"If her gift doesn't work on Audrey, though, we're fucked," I spat the name. It left a bad taste in my mouth, "We'll have to be weary of Tamsin and Kiersten, too. They could cause us to turn on one another,"

"We'll have more time to strategize," Alice said, "I've been watching Aro since we found you and Alec in the forest. He doesn't have any plans to attack. Not yet. We could make a battle plan and take it to him. Take over Volterra,"

"It would unsettle him," Jane mused, her eyes lighting up, "Aro's always been the place he's felt safest. If we can take it over- even if we aren't able to kill him on the first go- it'll give us an advantage,"

"Aro shouldn't be our first target," I said.

Jane glared, "Perhaps you can propose a better idea?"

"Of course. We need to take out Chelsea, first,"


	22. Chapter 22: Allies

**A/N:** This chapter is dedicated to Volturifanatics on Tumblr. Without her unwavering support, this story may have ended long ago.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Allies

The calls commenced, with the Cullens deviating the tasks by who had the best relationship with the vampires in question. Renesmee spent no less than an hour in one of the spare bedrooms on the phone with two vampires, described to me as hailing from deep in the Amazon Rainforests of Brazil.

The idea of them astounded me. Of my kind that I'd met, I'd noticed that vampires had a tendency to cooler climates, where the sun was hardly prevalent and they weren't so easily exposed. Still, under the protection of the canopy and far away from civilization, they must have found a place to bask in sunlight without garnering attention from Aro.

Alec and Jane and I stayed in the living room, silent and cooperative. Whenever they made calls, they'd make it a point to mention that a few members of the Volturi had come and switched sides.

They never said who, and my name was barely mentioned.

One day after the calls had begun, two vampires arrived at the front door.

The woman had deep, olive toned skin, with near-black hair that flowed in waves. In the way she carried herself, I was instantly reminded of Esme.

The man, too, with his easy nature and calming presence, seemed to be the perfect match to Carlisle.

"Carmen, Eleazar," Carlisle said, stepping to the side. Carmen's face twinged for a split second when she saw who'd come to join.

Then, she smiled and took a step forward, her hands outstretched. "Ah, but you're new, aren't you, _querida?"_

" _Si,"_ I answered. Spanish hadn't been a difficult language to learn, and it was rarely that I had the opportunity to speak anything other than English, "Soy Saoirse," I nodded towards Alec, who'd watched, shoulders tensed every time someone moved. "Soy su novia,"

Her eyes widened, her eyes darting from the twins, and then back to me, her lips pressed into a small line. Novia- girlfriend- it didn't have quite the same boundless and eternal connotations as 'mate' did, but if there was a word in Spanish to cover all of those basis, I didn't know it.

In the end, Carmen and Eleazar listened better than Tanya and Kate. They accepted our story, the one we'd told so many times that the words themselves had grown stale on my lips.

The same day, close to dusk, another pair of vampires arrived.

They caused Renesmee to squeal with excitement when Jasper opened the door. The small, red-headed girl in the center couldn't have been a year older than I was when she was turned. At her side, a tall and stately woman with broad features and one of the prettiest faces in the room.

"Siobhan, Maggie!" She screeched, elbowing her way past Jasper to throw her arms around Siobhan's waist.

"Lord, child!" Siobhan hummed, wrapping her arms around Renesmee's small waist, "You've gotten so big. So pretty, huh? Like a little flower."

"Thank you for coming," Edward said, pulling his daughter back before she could tackle Maggie to the ground. I reached for Alec's hand and braced myself for their reactions.

Siobhan regarded us with cold eyes. I never knew someone's expression could shift so quickly.

"Carlisle," She said, haltingly, "You are aware that they could be lying. I don't appreciate you bringing my family into such a situati-"

Maggie, contrarily, shook her head with a bright smile, "They aren't lying, Sio. I can tell it."

I rose to my feet and crossed with my palms up. If humans used such a gesture to mean peace and openness, then so could I.

"You're right. We aren't here to harm anyone. You're Maggie, right?"

"Yes, that's right," She said, though her voice wasn't as cheerful as before.

"My name is Saoirse,"

"Saoirse?" Siobhan repeated, her hands resting on Maggie's shoulders. "Then you're from Ireland?"

I blinked and licked the edge of my lips. "Scotland and Wales, actually. I might have been careless about the origin when I chose my new name,"

"You renamed yourself after your transformation."

"Yes," I didn't want to get into the details of it- and Siobhan was apparently perceptive enough to not ask.

"It's not such an unusual practice," Alec said, rising from the couch to wrap his arms around my waist. Behind him, Jane gave a low hiss, "Chelsea for instance- she changes her name nearly once every two-hundred years."

"You too are so precious together," Maggie sighed, her ruby eyes glinting. I pressed my lips into a fine line. The last thing I needed was more people commenting on our relationship. "He didn't have a mate- last time- I mean…" Her words trailed off, "Anyway- Siobhan. I think we should stay. I'm sure they've been vetted, right?"

"By Jasper and myself," Edward answered, his hands resting behind his back. "Even if they weren't, neither of them are capable of using their abilities. I would hardly consider them threats at the moment,"

"Are you sure it's not just Bella using her shield?" Eleazar asked, leaning back against the wall.

"She'd tell me," He answered, "And as I told the others before- their thoughts have changed. They aren't vicious or sadistic at all. They're...nervous. Unsettled. Jasper read their emotions too."

"Oh?" Alec asked, cocking his head to the side, "Thank you for the personal evaluation, Edward. Jasper."

"Defensive," Edward added, barely glancing in our direction. "Maggie already detected that none of us are lying. In the end, we truly have nothing to worry about,"

"With _us,"_ Alec said, and his grip tightened. "You mean? Let's not forget why we're here, shall we?"

His voice grew steadier with every word that fell from them, "We're not here to reason with the Volturi. We're here to destroy it. We're here because Aro's lies and deceptions have gone unchecked for over five thousand years. We're here because every day that passes, he becomes more unstable and the threat to everyone grows stronger,"

He paused and met my gaze for a split second. Though my heart no longer beat, in its frozen state, it felt emotion. As I watched him, his expression shifted.

"I'm not here to lie to you," He continued, "None of us will claim that this is going to be easy. I can't promise that lives won't be lost. I can't promise that we'll win, but the prize for all the risks we'll be taking is the chance for a life lived without fear. Aro had a good idea- one time, long ago. We do need to make sure our secret is maintained, but that isn't what Aro cares about. Not anymore. He uses the law as an excuse to maintain control. The second someone threatens his power, he snaps. He'll kill anyone that stands in his way and he has the weapons to do it. So-"

He paused, "If anyone wants to leave, it won't be held against you, but with all of us here, I want to believe that we have a fighting chance,"

"What weapons?" Eleazar asked, "When I lived with the Volturi, you and Jane were the strongest offensive weapons in the guard."

"Aro's added new members to the guard," I said, "Kiersten. Tamsin," I inhaled, for merely saying her name required mental preparation, "Audrey,"

Tanya and her coven tensed, "We wouldn't have been able to stand against the twins if not for Bella. Are you saying these women are stronger?"

"Audrey can reflect attacks back at a person. I don't know how Bella's gift would be affected by her," I said, "Tamsin is a shifter. She can transform into anyone. Kiersten causes you to attack the first person you see."

Kate hissed lowly, and gripped Tanya's upper arm, "We could be slaughtered instantly- if Bella's shield doesn't work. That reflective gift would just cause me to electrocute myself,"

"There is, also, the issue of me no longer being able to watch Aro's decisions," Alice groaned from the other couch, rubbing her face, "I was informed a few days ago that Aro had a hybrid in the last few years. As long as she's around him, I can't see what his future is- not clearly, at least,"

"Then it's simple," Garrett said, stretching his arms above his head, "We kill the hybrid, and-"

"No," Alec snarled. "She's a child. Leave her be,"

"Her presence alone puts us in danger. We need Alice to see when Aro decides to attack. We'll be ambushed if she can't see him,"

Renesmee plopped down on the couch next to Jane and drew her knees up. "I don't think we need to kill her, Uncle Garrett. If we could get her away from Aro, it would be better for all of us. Alice'd be able to see the future properly and predict an attack, and she'd be safe from Aro,"

"You assume she needs protecting from her own father?"

"I think everyone needs protection from Aro, Uncle Garrett. Like with me, I believe that she should be allowed the chance to live. Her existence alone isn't a threat,"

"Very well," He said, and he smiled slowly. Renesmee had a miraculous effect on everyone. It was impossible to be angry with her- not in the slightest. "However, if it proves impossible to protect ourselves with her alive, we have to act accordingly. Do you understand, Ness?"

She pouted wordlessly, complying in the end. Young as she was, she understood more about the world than some full-grown, centuries-old vampires I'd come across.

* * *

Our days continued like that. One or two covens would arrive at some point during the day, and we'd go through the same routine. Distrust, consideration, and eventual acceptance.

Zafrina and Senna arrived from the Amazon two days after the Irish coven, just as impressive as I'd imagined them. Little by little, the house grew crowded, and though no one needed to sleep, the lack of free space put everyone on edge.

Alec and I retreated into one of the spare bedrooms late one evening. Everyone's voices combined proved more than we could bare at the moment. For months, we'd been accustomed to nothing more than one another's voice.

I lay on the bed as he paced back and forth, shoulders heaving.

"Do you think we have a chance?" I asked, staring up at the ceiling. "If everyone we've spoken to agrees to stay, Aro's army will still be at least six-fold the size of ours. Even without Audrey...we-"

"Stop," He halted abruptly, and stood over me, his hands placed on either side of my head. "I don't want to talk about that. We've done nothing but talk about what happened and what might happen and what we're risking. God, Saoirse, I don't want to hear her name,"

"It's not fair, though," I sighed, rolling onto my stomach. Alice had lent Jane and I some of her clothes to wear, and while Jane was swamped in them, the sweater she'd given me was uncomfortably form fitting. I tugged it down with a grunt. "To lead them on- to act like we think we have a fighting chance. If we're going to die, isn't it better to let everyone put their affairs in order,"

"We aren't guaranteed to die. A "maybe" isn't a reason to give up." He sat on the edge, "You used to be the optimistic one. Don't you remember? Talking for hours about where we'd go when we escaped?"

I pushed myself up and draped my arms around his neck. "Iceland. The lights."

"You promised,"

He cradled the side of my face. I nuzzled into his touch. "So I did. Dammit, there goes my hope for imminent death,"

"I _fucking hope_ that you're joking,"

"You know my dark, fucked up coping mechanisms will never go away completely," I grinned and kissed the inside of his palm. He flinched, but only barely, but it was enough to make me stop the thoughts that ran through my head. "I'm sorry,"

"Don't be," He said, and though I'd expected him to pull away, he drew me closer to him. "I just… I want you to do things, like that, I do. I want you to touch me- it's only-"

"Her," I finished for him, "I understand, I promise. I'm not going to force it, Cariad. I promise you. We have forever. So… so, we have no reason to rush thi-"

He moved so suddenly, I hadn't reacted until his lips were on mine, his fingers tangled in the ends of my hair.

"Rush it," He groaned into my mouth, and I fell back onto my palms, "Saoirse, please. I can't… I _need_ to do this,"

"Do what?" I demanded, my mouth millimeters away from his, "Have sex? Do you realize we haven't kissed, yet? This isn't exactly the proper escalation of things, Alec."

"Yes, I know, but goddammit. I _need_ to get _them_ out of my head."

I closed my eyes for a half second, considering the options.

"I wouldn't be any better than Audrey if I forced you into something that you aren't ready for,"

"You wouldn't be forcing me," he answered, gripping the sheets above my head. "Not if I want it. Which- I do. God, I want you."

"We could try, but we aren't going to continue if this proves to make things worse," I decided, pushing myself. I regarded him through my lashes. I'd regarded him as beautiful in those God-awful, torn clothes _they'd_ left him in.

And he had been.

But the clothes we'd stolen along with the ones the Cullen's had lent us proved to make him a thousand times more stunning than perfect.

"Kiss me," I murmured, carding my fingers through his hair, one hand going to the buttons on Jasper's borrowed shirt.

And he did, pressing his weight down on me as he ripped the top Alice'd given me in half.

I had his shirt off, reaching for the fly of his pants when it happened.

Fingers wrapped around my wrist, ripping me away.

"Don't." He hissed, his eyes lidded and nearly pitch black. Hunts were made in small groups once a week. He'd only fed the day before- "Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me."

"A-A-Al-lec…" I shivered, watching as his grip tightened, bending my hand backward. "It's okay, it's alright. We can stop. I promise. I wouldn't make you continue. Okay? It's fine, let's just stop."

"Stop." He repeated, but it was more of a demand than an acknowledgment. I furrowed my brow. His eyes were frighteningly hazy. "Stop."

"Cariad?" I murmured, "Hey, look at me. It's alright. You're safe. Alright? You and I and...and Jane are all fine. We're safe."

He bent my wrist back further still. "G-Get...away. Get the fu-ck-"

"Alec, Alec, stop- pl-please," I begged, my teeth clenched. Any further, and my hand would snap off. "Please, I-I'm not Audrey. I'm Saoirse. I'm not going to hurt you,"

Against my instincts, which crowded in my gut and screamed for me to snatch myself out of his grasp, I brushed my thumb across his cheek. "Please, Cariad. I'm right here. You're going to be okay. I know,"

My voice hitched. We'd been free for weeks now, but the demons of that cell lived inside of my mate. Chewing. Gnawing at his mind.

With a growl, he broke my wrist in half.

And I don't know if it was the sound of bone snapping or my involuntary scream that brought him back, but in a second, the haze left his eyes.

Shaking, I cradled the stump of my arm and bent off of the bed, reaching the dismembered hand.

It only took some of my own venoms to get it back into place, but the pain lingered- a dull ache.

"Shit," He hissed, "Saoirse, I'm so sorry, I-"

"No, it's not your fault," I answered, flexing my fingers to make sure all of my tendons and nerves had knitted themselves together properly. "We're going to get through this,"

We settled on the bed, side by side, and for hours we talked of nothingness.

And of everything.


	23. Chapter 23: Battle Scars & Whisper Wars

Chapter Twenty-Three: Battle Scars and Whisper Wars

We could have laid there for hours, lying to ourselves, pretending that there wasn't a war about to rear its ugly head at us on the other side of that door. We talked until someone- Jasper, I believe, given the drawl in his voice- knocked on the door and demanded our presence.

Some other vampires had arrived. Nomads, this time, their double arrival unplanned but convenient nonetheless. The woman, Mary, shook our hands with wary eyes. They didn't ask as many questions as the Irish or Amazon covens had.

It was nice, I felt, to not have someone scream at us the second the laid eyes on the twins. Tanya, it appeared, was the only one who had such a strong reaction.

All the while, Renesmee sat with Jane on the couch, who had been clutching onto the armrest so hard her nails pierced the fabric.

"You're going to get stuck," Alec grinned, flopping down next to his sister, "You're like a cat, Jane."

She looked up at him, eyes narrowed. "You need to stop leaving me alone with these _people._ Anyone of them could turn on me in a second, and without my powers, I'm fucked,"

Ness cocked her head, "We aren't going to attack you. Don't you know that? We're friends now-"

"Allies," Bella amended, breaking away from her conversation with Mary and Randall for a half-second. "We have a mutual enemy, Renesmee. That doesn't make all of us friends."

"Mama, you can decide to be friends with whomever you want, and I will do the same," She retorted, tilting her chin up. Bella blinked but shook off her daughter's attitude.

"I think we all need to check the animosity towards one another," Alice sighed. "We'll find time to hunt within the next few weeks. That should help with everyone's agitation,"

"We went without blood for almost a year," I said, "A lack of it isn't an excuse to be irritable."

"I am allowed to like who I do and don't like," Bella hissed. "Jane has wanted nothing more than to hurt my family from the second we met in Volterra."

Jane removed her nails from the upholstery and rose to her feet in a fluid motion. "Is that what I wanted? Swan, congratulations on the newly found mind-reading abilities."

"I don't have to be able to read your mind to know. You couldn't stand it- you couldn't stand that your gift didn't work on me,"

"No, I hated that Aro thought you were so special," She corrected, her teeth gritted together. Alec leaned forward on the couch- some odd combination of a ready-to-spring crouch and a desire to watch the exchange. "You were just a human,"

"And you sought out every opportunity to use your ability,"

"I used my gift when I was told to. It's the only way I have to defend myself. Fucking shit, Swan. I'm four-eight. Do you want me to headbutt you instead?"

"That's not the point. You didn't use it as a defense. You used it as a display of power. You tortured Edward anytime you had the opportunity,"

"Actually, it was twice. Both on Aro's order. You've met me three times and you think you have the fucking right to make assumptions about me?" She seethed, her chest rising and falling as tremors racked her body. "Do you want to fucking see what happens when you tell Aro no?"

Behind her eyes, something flickered. The beginning of an apocalypse.

Without us saying anything, she whirled around and pulled her shirt up. Scars crisscrossed her porcelain flesh, covering every surface of her skin until her back was, all in all, nothing more than a mass of torn flesh. If a human saw her in such a state, they'd only notice the newest ones, puckered and ripped. I looked down at my arms. Compared to her- I'd gone through a spa day with Audrey.

"Jane…" Renesmee breathed, her barely audible voice enough to shatter the heavy silence. I glanced at Alec. He sat frozen at my side, hands shaking. I presumed with the unrelenting desire to snap the head off of the person who'd done that to his twin. I could hardly remember my brother, other than the fact that he existed. Still, I understood that bond. I closed my eyes and cupped my head.

Bella swallowed, her arms wrapped around her body. "Listen. I'm sorry. For making assumptions. It doesn't-"

"You're a very narrow-minded person, Bella," Jane said, her head cocked to the side as she allowed her shirt to drop back into place. "I don't say that to be cruel, but maybe you should learn from it. I'm not the only person who isn't going to like you."

"This isn't about you not liking me," She protested. "I'm not that immature,"

"I think you are. It's not your fault. You're young. You'll learn."

"I'm older than you are,"

"No. Only in appearance. That doesn't count for much when you can live forever."

"Fine," Bella snarled, swaying back and forth. She gave the impression of someone who wasn't often told no. "I still don't have to trust you,"

"You can be paranoid and continue holding grudges all you want. It doesn't affect me."

"I think we all need a break," Jasper suggested, swinging Alice's arm back and forth. "We'll go outside and train. Both of you have energy that needs to be expended."

It wasn't an option. We slugged off to the back of the house and sat on the porch with the other covens. Mary and Randall spent the time locked in hushed conversation- something about their travels.

Jasper held everyone's attention, though. All eyes were on him- or Bella. Except Renesmee, who sat, lurched forward, her eyes locked on Jane's every move.

She fought well. Better than I thought she would. For someone who spent years only relying on a mental power for protection, the short time Jasper spent training us paid off. She dodged smoothly, putting her height to good use. Bella could barely grab onto her, needing to duck and lunge in order to get close.

"Damn," I breathed. Jane whipped around, dodging attack after attack.

"She's incredible!" Renesmee breathed, her chest rising and falling as she fiddled with her hair, watching with unblinking eyes. "Mama can barely keep up!"

"Shouldn't you be cheering for your mother?" I asked, but she shook her head.

"I've cheered for ma-" She broke off with a low hiss. Bella finally got ahold of her opponent. Fingers wrapped around Jane's neck, she jerked her to the ground.

Alec tensed. Bella sat across the smaller girl, fingers digging into Jane's throat.

"G-G-ge-get- the- _fuck-_ off- of- me-" She screeched, arching her back in an attempt to knock Bella off.

"You can get out yourself. You'll figure out a way." Bella said, her voice calm despite how tight she hung onto Jane's throat.

"Get. OFF!" Jane screamed that last word, her fingers tearing desperately at Bella's.

"Jasper," Alec began as he stood up. "Call it off."

Jasper merely held a hand up. "She'll be fine. She needs to learn how to get out of difficult holds."

" _This_ isn't helping!" Alec hissed. "Tell Swan to get off of her or _I_ will personally drag her off by her hair."

On the ground, Jane gave a faint sob and whimper. "G-et...o-off…"

Something, I suppose, about the defeated tonality in her voice jogged Bella's mind. She removed her knee from Jane's stomach.

Her shirt was covered in a strange, silvery substance.

"Alec-" I started, but he bolted past me, dropping to his knees next to his sister.

Bella no longer held her down, but she hadn't moved at all.

"Shit!" He snarled, pushing up the shirt. Gashes covered her stomach, and they were dripping with a substance that appeared to be silver blood.

"The fuck is that?" I asked, wrinkling my nose at the smell of it as Ness and I drew closer.

"Child of the Moon venom," He declared, brushing a few fingers across her wounds to collect it on the tips. It sizzled on his skin until he wiped it on the grass. "It reacts with our venom- like oil and water. Since they can't mix, our venom will push the CoM venom to any open wounds in an attempt to get it out."

"You think-"

"Exactly,"

Renesmee, fists clenched, rounded on her mother. "You should have stopped, mama! Why didn't you stop!"

"Baby, I wasn't trying to hurt her," Bella sighed, placing her hands on Ness's shoulders. "When we're fighting Aro's armies, people aren't going to be kind to one another. They aren't going to care if she's in pain. She has to learn how to defend herself,"

"Might I suggest, with all due respect to the almighty Swan, perhaps you should have taught her that _before_ pinning her to the ground?" Alec snarled. He'd pulled off a piece of his shirt, and had taken to dabbing away the venom. The issue, though, was that the fabric practically disintegrated on contact. Jane groaned on the ground, her body arching. I jumped the last few steps and knelt next to him..

"It's not so serious. The venom just stings." He smiled lightly, continuing to dab it away despite how it just ruined his shirt. "Can you see if Carlisle's in the house?"

I rose fluidly and bolted back up the stairs and into the house.

"Carlisle?" I called from right inside the door. If he was there, he'd hear me.

A note, taped to the counter, caught my eye.

Esme and I are going to Switzerland to speak with some covens there. We'll be back by tomorrow evening.

Great. I grabbed the note and threw open the door.

"Carlisle and Esme have gone," I said, holding out the crumpled paper for anyone who might want to inspect it. "Switzerland. To try and find more allies,"

"Great," Alec hissed, gathering his twin in his arms. In his arms, she didn't look quite as tiny as she had in Jasper's.

"I _can_ walk," She huffed, pushing herself up in his arms, her head cocked to the side. "It's not so bad you- gah!"

He grinned. "It's won't take long to heal, but I suggest you rest until it does. I was hoping that Carlisle would know how to keep the venom from burning you-"

"Alkaline," Renesmee said, falling into step at his other side.

"What?"

"We need an alkaline solution. I studied the chemical makeup of vampire and child of the moon venom. Both are highly acidic. We need to make something that can counterbalance it and that should neutralize the pain,"

"Delightful," Alec said, beaming. "Can you make it?"

"Sure. Uncle Jas has a chemical lab in the basement," She answered with a shrug. "If you can get me a sample of the venom, I can start on it right away,"

He collected less than a teaspoon of venom in a dish set out on the steps to collect water, and Renesmee disappeared into the house. Her footsteps clicked on the steps to the basement, and one floor above her, we could hear her rushing about with vials and glass.

Jane settled into our bed, her fingers clamped over the open wounds. The second he'd laid her down, her eyes flew open.

"I'll kill her," She snarled, and she pushed herself up onto her elbows only to fall back with a squeak of pain a second later. "If she pulls that shit again- I swear. I don't care if I have my gift back or not, I'll-"

"You were sparring," I reminded her, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm sure she just got too into it. We don't need anyone fighting now, so please don't."

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't what? I told her to stop plenty of times. She didn't listen. Now, I have to lay here and let my brother baby me."

"And that is precisely what I'm going to do," He bent over the other side of the bed and kissed her cheek. "Lay down."

Her voice faded away. I could hear it. There's no way I couldn't have heard it. But I didn't register it anymore after that. She protested his commands. I understood that from the tone of their exchange, but they could have revealed secrets to me and I'd have no recollection of them, later.

My world enveloped itself in silence, my own thoughts cramming my brain so full of sound until I couldn't have heard them- even if I wanted to. My eyes trailed over the siblings for a moment, analyzing their interactions. Still, their voices remained muted, for the buzzing in my brain, coupled with the frantic words that ran rampant through my mind, became deafening.

Ripping away, I threw open the nearest door and threw my hands down onto the bathroom countertop.

 _Stop it. Stop it. He's… it's just his sister. Don't be jealous._

 _His sister? Perhaps, but do you really believe he loves you as much as her? Familial love is just as strong as romantic. Didn't you know that?_

 _He can love us both._

 _Let's not forget that other girl, shall we?_

 _She just had a crush on him. That was it._

 _Maybe, at first, but imagine what he'd do if he saw her now. Hybrids are meant to be beautiful after all. Look at Ness._

 _She is pretty, but._

 _It's not a matter of if he loves you or not, but who he loves the most. Who would he save?_

Inhaling sharply, though the air did nothing for me, I dug my nails into the granite and left gouges. My eyes lingered on my reflection.

Nothing was wrong. I knew there would be scars. I knew I wouldn't be the same as before, but something about my own appearance frightened me. I reached up and brushed my fingers across the glass where my eyes reflected.

An emotion lingered in them, right behind the irises where a light should have shined. Shit- what the fuck's wrong with me?

Alec doesn't give me attention for nine seconds and I feel like I'm about to crack? How stupid is that? Selfish, really. He's the one that I should worry about. I talked to Carlisle about what happened to me. Us. That should have been enough.

It wasn't, and that became clear with each second I stayed in the bathroom.

There could have been a fire beyond it. I wouldn't have known. Audrey could be right outside of the door.

I wouldn't have known.

I closed my eyes and let my hand rest on the doorknob, preparing myself to go back into the real world. I _had_ to act fine. I needed to be okay, for him. I couldn't help my mate if I had my own issues to deal with.

So, I imagined that they didn't exist. Better yet, I decided to believe that everything that happened in Volterra was nothing more than a dream, an illusion carried over from my days as a human.

I pushed open the door and returned to life.


	24. Chapter 24: A Warning

Chapter 24:

Two days after Senna and Zafrina's arrival Carlisle and Esme returned with a few friends from Switzerland. New friends, according to Alice.

"Carlisle took a trip one year after Renesmee's birth," She declared as the taller of the two men shed his fur coat- purely a garment used for the aesthetic. Even in the frigid winters of the North, no vampire would be affected by the weather. "He met Sven and Christian on a hunt in the alps,"

"Interesting," I mused, but I clung to Alec's hand as Renesmee bolted off the couch and hurried to the door to make introductions. We were strangers- better than enemies, but it didn't make us friends. "I've never considered hunting there."

"It's fun!" Renesmee declared, her arms wrapped firmly around Christian's neck as he spun her in a circle. At the end of the couch, Jane's lip pulled back into a tense snarl. "Well- it's only fun if you hunt animals."

I narrowed my eyes and locked gaze with Sven. His eyes weren't gold- nor red, to my surprise.

"Omnivores," He said, catching my confusion. Instead of the classic triad of colors I'd come to know, their eyes were a dark amber, a person combination of gold and red. "Humans if necessary. Animals if we have a choice."

"A fair balance between instinct and humanity," Carlisle smiled. I doubted he would ever fully approve of a diet that involved any killing, but this method was better than nothing.

And he couldn't deny- some humans _deserved_ to die. It was just a question of whether or not we had the authority to be judge, jury and executioner.

"Perhaps worthy of looking into," I said, slipping onto the couch between my mate and the armrest.

Renesmee planted a kiss on Christian's cheek and flitted back to Jane's side before her mate could implode.

"If we survive, we'll have time to consider dietary alterations," Alec quipped, brushing his thumb across the inside of my palm. "So- do we have to recount what happened, yet again?"

"Not necessary," Esme, wrapped in a conversation with Senna and Zafrina, turned to face us. "Carlisle took it upon himself to let everyone know the situation. I hope that's alright- we don't want to overstep any boundaries but-"

"No," Alec shook his head, and something of a smile crossed his face. "Thank you. We appreciate it,"

"It had gotten exhausting." Jane added, "to have to tell the same story. Over and over and over again,"

"I did tell them that they could come to you if they had any questions that Carlisle and I couldn't answer."

"I think we can manage that,"

The rest of the day was quiet, almost absurdedly so- given the amount of vampires we'd managed to cram into one house.

Carlisle, the Irish coven, Christian and Sven, Emmett and Jasper and the nomads left in the evening to hunt.

We were left to sit in the living room, unsure eyes darting around as we watched one another.

I wanted to trust them. Just as they, I was sure, wanted to trust me.

Bella's shield was constantly wrapped around her and Rosalie, and Alice and Renesmee. Edward had gone into the city early in the morning for supplies- he didn't need protection right now.

The dangers of the outside world were nothing compared to what the twins or I could do.

At the fifth hour of haughty glaring, I snapped.

"Shit- can you all stop?" I hissed, sliding off of the couch. "We've been here for almost a month. I thought we were past this. What? The second Carlisle leaves we're all back to hating each other?"

"I don't hate any of you," Bella said.

"Your shield is up. I can feel it. That's why my power can't go through," I perched on the armrest, "If you trusted us, you would protect all of us,"

Her lips twitched, but in the end they turned up into a half-smile. "I'm sorry. I suppose I have my priorities slightly askew."

Something soft, warm wrapped itself around me; the feeling reminded me of a mother's embrace- or what I remembered that to be like.

"We're on the same side. We _have_ to remember that. If we're driven apart, that will only give Aro the upperhand,"

Alec snorted, his gaze fixed on the open window. Outside, Esme and Alice stood on the porch, talking low enough that I had to listen closely to catch their conversation.

"-don't know. Soon. Few hours-"

"-to let… Alice! You can't keep this-"

I narrowed my eyes and leaned closer, but before I could figure anything out, Alice threw open the door, her lovely face crumpled.

"Someone's going to die in a few hours," She said, and despite her expression, her tone was largely nonchalant.

The announcement caused an uproar.

"How?"

"Who?"

" _When?"_

"Aro?"

" _Who,_ Aunt Alice?"

She sunk into an armchair across from the couch, and cradled her forehead. "I… I didn't… I never- I don't-"

Esme knelt next to the chair, her fingers curled around Alice's. "Take your time,"

"I've had visions," She began, her eyes closed tight. "Started a few days ago. I didn't want to scare anyone so- I kept them to myself,"

"You kept visions of one of us dying-" Jane rose, her hands balled into tight fists. "-secret...because you didn't want to _scare_ us?"

"I am fully aware of how stupid that was,"

"I'm thrilled. So- who was it?"

"That's the problem. I'm not certain. It's not me- or Jasper… it's someone smaller. I've assumed it would be either- Either you- or Alec… or maybe Saoirse, but-" She cut herself off and in the span of a half-minute her eyes glazed over, cleared up and fogged over once again.

Blinking rapidly, she scanned our expressions.

"It's not any of us. Whoever it is is small- close to Saoirse's size, but they have dark hair. Nearly black."

"-Shit…"

"Do you know someone like that?"

Alec's body tensed, his finger's coiling around mine tight enough to snap the bone in thumb. "Aro's daughter. Do you see the circumstances of her death?"

"Why are we worrying about Aro's child?" Garrett sauntered out of a back room, his hands looped easily in his belt loops. "If she dies, won't that give us an advantage?"

"She's just a kid, Garrett," Alice said, her eyes focused on the other vampire as she leaned back. "If she were a major catalyst, then I would consider taking her out. I don't believe her death will change things in our favor. Not enough to justify killing her."

" _Alice._ Did. You. See. How. She. Dies?"

"Not what or who kills her. I saw her grabbing onto tree branches and stumbling through some woods. She collapses- and that's where the vision ends."

"And you think it's near here? These woods?" He demanded, and my heart jerked.

I promised I'd be fine, and I have been. Still, I can't help but question who of us he loves best in the end. Me- or Jane, or Euphrasie.

"In the general vicinity, yes. Within five miles of the house,"

"Is it dark? Is it light?"

"It's dusk," She answered, "If I had to guess a time- may be between seven and eight?"

'Thank you," His grip on me settled some. I sank into the couch with him and waited for my thumb to sort itself back out.

"What do you plan to do?" I asked. He wrapped an arm around me, and all at once that jealous feeling vanished entirely. Maybe- maybe there was a chance that he could love me as much.

"I'll search the woods. When I find her- I'll make sure the vision doesn't come true,"

"If I could see more, I might be able to tell what path leads her here in the first place," Alice confessed, her nose scrunched up. "If she wasn't- if she were a vampire I might be able to see her better. I can barely make out her form in my visions. It's… it's like the surroundings, the woods, they're clear as day. She's not. She's just….a ghost, almost. Barely there. Scarcely detectable,"

"But you saw her. You saw enough to know that it was a small child with dark hair. And unless you're having visions about random human children, I'm going to assume it's Euphrasie,"

"I thought you didn't love her?" Alice cocked her head.

"I don't. I don't love her like that," His gaze fixed to the floor. "But I do love her in a way. She's very sweet. Very kind. I love her like I might love a younger sister. I feel protective of her. I don't want to kiss her,"

I purred with internal satisfaction.

"Do you think she'd join us?" Bella asked, settling on the armrest next to Ren.

"In spirit? I don't want her to fight. She's barely seven."

"Renesmee's only ten,"

"Then have her sit out the battle, too."

"NO!"

"Maybe you have a point,"

" _No,_ Jane, he doesn't. I'm not sitting on the sidelines while my family and _you_ risk your lives. No way."

"Then Euphrasie can fight, too,"

"Euphrasie can do as she chooses," I snapped, "If Renesmee gets the choice to fight or not fight, then we should all be granted the same. If she wants to fight- so be it. If not… we can't force her."

"Fine," Jane grinned, "Let her choose. Maybe you saw her dying in battle. Who knows? Maybe Audrey'll get to her,"

"It didn't _feel_ like a battle," Eyes narrowed, Alice pushed herself off the chair and turned to Jane direction, "If she survives what I saw in the vision, I doubt she'd have the strength to make it to a battle. Audrey won't get to anyone,"

"Audrey'll get to whoever she wants," Alec laughed, but it was a cold and dry sound and not at all lovely. "I'm honestly surprised she hasn't found us,"

"Demetri, rather," Jane's mouth curved into a bitter smirk. "Maybe he has and he's just waiting for us to slip up. For someone to break away from everyone else,"

Bella's brow furrowed. "Demetri never came across to me as especially sadistic."

"No- but he's a tracker. They all get that mentality about them. They can't stop until they've gotten their quary.

Very briefly, her eyes darkened and she traced a crescent scar on her hand- undoubtedly a vampire bite.

"My shield- it should block him out,"

"Yes, but he'd still be able to find the rest of us," Jane slipped an arm around Ness's waist. Bella's back muscles tensed. "You can shield us most of the time, sure, but to do so constantly would drain you. Even vampire's have limits. They might be extreme, but they exist,"

"Then I'll shield Edward and Renesmee. Edward'll be able to hear Demetri's thoughts from a mile out. We'll have a small window of time to prepare."

"And I'll watch for him," Alice added, tucking a lock of her ink-black hair behind her ears. "If I get a vision of him, it'll give us even more time,"

"Right- but if Demetri finds us, it's only a matter of time before he reports back to Aro." Alec said, his eyes darting around the room. Sven and Christian exchanged wary glances. "He'll bring an army. A hundred times stronger than what he brought when Renesmee was born. He will not care about the law, or adding anyone to his collection. There will be no talk. No point of "witnesses". He will kill us. Systematically. One by one until no one is left to oppose him."

Carlisle laughed shortly. A pretty sound, but with a deadness to it. "Alec, you're starting to sound like Alistair."

"Good. He has some sense."

"If his army is strong, ours has to be stronger," Edward said, "If- I can't believe I'm saying this, but if Alec and Jane could use their gifts, it'd give us some leverage."

Jane cocked her head to the side and looked up at him, her expression enough to melt. "And who do you propose we try and practice on? You?"

"No,"

"No, no one here. There has to be a way for us to test it without anyone needing to feel the pain,"

A beam of sunlight streamed through the cracked window, casting all near it into prisms. Tanya's hand through a rainbow onto the floor.

"Her power works in the mind," Alec began, "It's illusionary, but- I'm sure you knew that already. Mine works on the body. I could numb someone just enough for the pain to be mild. Noticeable, but only just."

"Which is wonderful," I said, straightening my back. "But what about Audrey? She'll just push your gifts back onto you."

"There's a chance I'll be able to block her, too. If I _can-"_ She turned to the twins, her lips pulled into an elated expression. "You'll be able to use your gifts. We can incapacitate her and Aro and take everyone out."

"If it works- your shield, I mean, then I'd be able to use my gifts. I could make Audrey turn on Aro. I could make them annihilate one another."

"You could?"

"It'd be exhausting. I'd have to be precise on which memories or emotions I induce, but It'd be possible."

"So, it's a kind of mind control?"

I shrugged, "Something like that. I don't directly manipulate the body to do anything. I merely implant certain emotions or...memories. Sensations into someone's mind that could lead them to a certain action."

"And you could figure out which ones to give Audrey?"

"Provided your gift works. Bella, I hope you realize how much we have riding on y-"

Three steady knocks rapped on the wooden door. And unfamiliar scent mingled with those present.

Before I could speak, or anyone reacted, Alec bolted to his feet and jerked it open.

I twisted around. A tiny figure stood on the doorstep, dark hair plastered to their face from the rain. They were miniscule, smaller than Jane.

"I-I-I'm…"

It was a girl's voice, but raspy, as if her vocal cords had been ruined with sickness.

"Euphrasie," Alec said, reaching for her hand as she swayed, eyes focused somewhere else. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry,"

Her other hand flew to her jacket. She pulled a folded paper out and handed it to him.

"Fath-father wanted...he sent...he told me to gi-give you that," She paused and her gaze fell to the ground. "I don't know what it says."

Unfolding the letter, Alec read it's contents.

"He knows where we are," He met my gaze, jaw set, his brow knitted. "He's given us- Jane and I three days to return to him."

"Or what?" I demanded, my fingers curling around the edge of the couch. I always knew Aro to be insane. Who knew he was an idiot, too? "He'll kill us?"

"Something like that, yeah," He passed the letter to me.

 _My dearest loves,_

 _Demetri has recently brought your present location to my attention, and with this knowledge I would like to propose a compromise._

 _I will give both of you three days to return to me. Three days to swear allegiance._

 _When three days are up, I will destroy everyone who stands to defy me._

I swallowed, and read the letter for a second time, then a third. Something about it seemed _off,_ but I couldn't place what.

"Alright," Bella said, turning abruptly towards the backdoor. "That means we have three days to get ready,"


End file.
